Steven Zieff of Crossroads Redevelopment hopes to turn EMC Corp.’s former headquarters site in Hopkinton into a mixed-use complex of housing, retail, and office space.
When the exodus to the suburbs got underway more than a half-century ago, employers followed, and the office park was born. But today, as younger workers return to the city, and employers again follow the labor, these isolated campuses of low-slung buildings, parking lots, and company cafeterias face challenges, from new competitors to aging facilities to high vacancy rates.
As a result, owners and developers across Eastern Massachusetts are seeking to reinvent the suburban office park, taking a page from urban revitalization that transformed old mill and factory buildings into mixed-use developments of housing, retail, and office spaces. In communities such as Burlington and Marlborough, developers are adding restaurants, hotels, and other amenities, as well as housing, to compete with the “live, work, play” attraction of the city.
In Marlborough, for example, Atlantic Management Inc. of Framingham purchased the former Hewlett-Packard campus three years ago to launch a more than $200 million rehab of the 110-acre site, which dates back to the 1960s. The project is well underway, with Atlantic refurbishing the two office buildings, while AvalonBay Communities of Virginia, which purchased 26 acres at the site, builds 350 luxury apartments.
“The market is demanding it,” he said.
Commercial real estate specialists say the trend in office park redevelopment is driven by two forces. First, property owners need to renovate aging, outdated buildings, some of which are a half-century old. Second, they must meet increasing competition from Boston, Cambridge, and other nearby urban communities.
Along Interstate 495, the vacancy rate for Class A offices is hovering at nearly 18 percent, compared with 11.5 percent in Boston and less than 6 percent in Cambridge. Commercial rents are depressed. Offices lease for only $20 per square foot in the region, less than half of what similar space fetches in Boston and Cambridge, according to Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate firm.
The site of the former headquarters of data storage giant EMC Corp. in Hopkinton is an extreme case of a struggling suburban property. The 160,000-square-foot building, just off I-495, has sat empty for 13 years, ever since EMC moved to newer offices elsewhere in town, said Steven Zieff, a partner with Hopkinton’s Crossroads Redevelopment LLC.
Crossroads has an option to buy the 38-acre property, which also includes four one-story buildings, and hopes to redevelop the site into a mixed-use complex of housing, retail stores, restaurants, and office space.
Along Route 128, the situation is not nearly as dire, with the office vacancy rate between Woburn and Needham running at 6.4 percent, below Boston’s. Rents near that stretch of the highway are rising as the economy continues to improve, averaging about $34 per square foot, about $20 less than office space in Boston and Cambridge.
But office park owners still feel pressure from intensifying competition with cities. In recent years, a number of suburban companies have moved to Boston or Cambridge, including ad firm Allen & Gerritsen, which moved to the Seaport District from Watertown. Biogen Idec soon will move from a Weston office campus to a new headquarters under construction in Kendall Square.
At the 13-building New England Executive Park in Burlington, the vacancy rate is 10 percent, with tenants that include tech firms BAE Systems, Charles River Systems, and Black Duck Software. Still, National Development, the park’s owner, is convinced it needs improvements to stay competitive.
Later this year the firm plans to start a major overhaul that includes demolishing an office building — all 13 buildings were built between 1969 and 1986 — and constructing 300,000 square feet of new development. The new additions will include a 170-room hotel, three full-service restaurants, and new retail and office space.
National Development, however, won’t add housing to its New England Executive Park mix. Tye said he’s not convinced that housing within office parks is a smart idea. Some towns might end up getting financially hurt because commercial and industrial properties are usually taxed at higher levels than residential properties, he said.
He added that it’s also hard to duplicate urban settings within suburban parks if they’re not near public transit and don’t have easy pedestrian access to offices. “This is a source of some disagreement within the industry,” he said of housing’s role in office park redevelopment.
In contrast, Nordblom Co., owner of Northwest Park in Burlington, is a firm believer in “live, work, play.” Three years ago, it launched a massive $500 million project to redevelop about half the 285-acre office park to include 600,000 square feet of retail space, 300 new apartments, a 225-room hotel, and 3.5 million square feet of new or refurbished offices.
Todd Fremont-Smith, senior vice president of Nordblom, said the redevelopment, which could take another 10 years to complete, has already attracted new office tenants, a steakhouse restaurant called The Bancroft, and a new Wegman’s supermarket, which opens in October.
Below is a look at some proposed projects.
Former and current use Former 160,000-square-foot headquarters of EMC, four one-story “flex space” buildings, and parking lots.
Development plan Construct 375 apartment units and a 150-room hotel; possibly renovate old EMC building or completely rebuild it; and build new access roadway to site.
Status Under zoning review by town of Hopkinton.
Former use 750,000 square feet of office and R&D space in two buildings, previously used by Hewlett-Packard and vacated in 2011.
Development plan Remodel the two buildings and add 350 apartment units, a 153-room hotel and 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
Status One former HP building has already been renovated and leased to Quest Diagnostics; construction is underway on residential units; construction set to start this fall on hotel; no timetable yet for renovation of second HP building.
Development plan Tear down building and replace it with 334 apartment units; 6,000 square feet of co-working space for small companies and a café.
Status Still awaiting city permits.


As a result of the ravaging flood wreaking havoc on different parts of the country, about 22 Internally Displaced Persons camps have been set up in Delta State.
Twelve of the camps were created by the Delta State Government, while the 10 others were set up by communities and people that are not disposed to moving into the government holding camps which are not near their original places of abode.
The state said the Flood Management Committee it created recently was providing for the needs of the people in the private camps.
Speaking after inspecting some of the holding camps and areas affected by the flood, the Director, Relief and Rehabilitation, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Kayode Fagbemi, commended the Delta State Government for being proactive in handling the effects of the flood.
Fagbemi, who led officials of NEMA and those of the State Emergency Management Agency on the inspection, expressed satisfaction with what was put in place in the camps visited.
He sympathised with the flood victims for the inconveniences they were suffering, especially those who refused to move into government camps to avoid the unpleasant experience of 2012 when they lost valuable property to hoodlums who took advantage of the loneliness of the area to strike.
In some of the camps visited, non-indigenes were seen in large numbers because the camps are located in areas where the state shares boundaries with other states.
During the visits, it was observed that adequate security, light, water, well-stocked clinics, and other facilities that will make the victims feel a little bit comfortable were in place.


UPDATED, 4:28 PM: The score of the sometimes painful-to-watch Dallas Cowboys 38-14 win over the Washington Redskins last night on Thursday Night Football was determined hours ago, but the real final figures finally are in.
With 15.6 million viewers on NBC and the NFL Network simulcast of the primetime matchup, TNF has hit its best viewership of the sometimes ratings-challenged 2017 NFL season.
Now, yes, 15.6 million does seem to be less than the 16.91 million who tuned in with bellies full of Thanksgiving feasting to endure the November 23 primetime game between the winning Redskins and the NY Giants. And, you would be correct in your math but not your scheduling. Though it had all the semblance of a TNF game, the Thanksgiving match-up was actually not programmed as one. Add to that, the Redskins vs. Giants was not part of the TNF package deal and actually not shown on NFL Network and you have a hair splitting that is legit.
So, comparing regular apples to regular apples, last night’s game beat the previous high of the New England vs. Tampa Bay game that played on CBS and the NFL Network by just a mere 1% to claim that most viewed title. But a win, as the Cowboys will tell you, is a win in football no matter how close.
PREVIOUS, 7:25 AM: With all the political controversy and ratings slips and slides that have characterized the current NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys’ 38-14 slam down of the Washington Redskins last night may have been the near perfect encapsulation of what is hobbling the league and broadcasters.
For one, in a Cowboys stadium that was full of empty seats clear to TV viewers, the Thursday Night Football battle was often painful to watch even as Dallas grinded their way to a likely playoff berth and Washington’s hopes essentially came to an end. Coming off a three game-losing streak, that was good news for Dallas, who are now 6-6, but no one could say this was elegant football. However, there was a touch of history last night as the Cowboys’ wide receiver Dez Bryant became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown catches after a 13-yard reception from QB Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter.
With that record in Bryant’s hand and no national anthem protests, the numbers on last night’s TNF are a mixed bag.
Snaring a 10.7/18 result in metered market ratings on NBC and the NFL Network, last night’s game was up and it was down – and the latter was harsh.
Compared to the TNF game of December 1, 2016, last night’s TNF took a dive of 24% in the early ratings. The second best TNF metered market results of last season, that Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings march-up went on to score a 6.8/25 among adults 18-49 and 21.76 million viewers.
Looking at the more immediate past, last night’s TNF was up 10% over the terrible primetime Thanksgiving game between the Redskins and the NY Giants in MM results. Down 10% in the early numbers from Thanksgiving 2016, the benign November 23, 2017 20-10 win by the DC team ended up with a 5.1/20 in the key demo and 16.91 million viewers.
Now, there is a bit of a pre-Christmas treat out of last night for NBC and the NFL. With a peak of 11.5/19 in the 9:30 – 10 PM ET slot, last night’s TNF did deliver the best MM result for any Thursday game on any network since the October 5 New England Patriots’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As TNF stayed basically steady in metered market numbers with last week, the top scripted show of the night took a tackle. Dipping 8% from its last original of November 16, The Big Bang Theory (2.4/9) hit a series low last night.
As BBT kicked off the night for the House of Moonves, spinoff Young Sheldon (2.1/8) took a 19% dive from its Thanksgiving night airing of last week. While even with their episodes of two weeks ago, Mom (1.4/5) and Life In Pieces (1.1/4) tumbled 22% and 15% respectively. S.W.A.T. (1.0/4) was up a tenth from its November 16 show but down the same from last week.
With NFL adjustments obviously in the offering, right now NBC owns the night with a 3.1/11 rating and 10.9 million viewers. TNF is currently posting a 3.3/12 rating in the key demo and an audience of 11.6 million in the fast affiliates.
ABC didn’t have any football last night but the Disney-owned net was wall-to-wall holiday specials with A Charlie Brown Christmas (1.6/6) and a two-hour The Wonderful World Of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (1.2/5). The former was up 7% in the 18-49s over last year while the latter rose 20% from its November 24, 2016 showing.
On Fox, the 8 PM Gotham (0.8/3) was down a tenth from its last original as The Orville (0.9/3) held steady. The CW’s Supernatural (0.5/2) was technically a season low as last week’s two tenths lower episode was categorized as a special by the net. Slipped in the space usually reserved for Arrow, Penn & Teller: Fool Us got a 0.3/1 rating last night.


EGYPT: Polaris has leveraged the features of its Intellect Lending product to help Tamweel become one of the first of its kind to be technology-led in the mortgage finance space in Egypt.
This is claimed by a recent announcement with Summit Technology Solutions (STS), a Summit Holding company, where Polaris Software Lab Limited has inked a partnership and has made its first major product go-live in the Egypt market.
The product Intellect Lending, which is Polaris’ product for Mortgage finance, has been chosen by Tamweel, Egypt’s third licensed Mortgage Company and as per the release, is being claimed as the first to have such an automated system in Egypt.
“Polaris has leveraged the features of its Intellect Lending product to help Tamweel become one of the first of its kind to be technology-led in the mortgage finance space in Egypt.I’m pleased to share that Tamweel is all set to reap the benefits of Intellect’s Mortgage product such as faster and business rule based decision for loans processing, regulatory reports based integrated system with Mortgage Financial Authority, Central Bank of Egypt, ”said Bikash Mathur, CEO, Polaris EMEA.
Summit is a joint-venture between Orascom, Egypt’s business group and Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate. Summit is the holding company of Summit Technology Solutions (STS), Orascom Training & Technology (OTT) and Qemmah.


WASHINGTON — Facing the prospect of leaving Washington for a month-long recess without any substantial legislative achievements, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday announced he is delaying the start of the traditional August recess this year by two weeks.
McConnell's decision comes after members of his own party asked him to delay the five-week long break from Washington as a long list of GOP priorities pile up, including a stalled health care bill — even as new details emerged about a revised health care plan.
“In order to provide more time to complete action on important legislative items and process nominees that have been stalled by a lack of cooperation from our friends across the aisle, the Senate will delay the start of the August recess until the third week of August," McConnell said in a statement released to reporters Tuesday afternoon.
The revised schedule will mark the first time since 1994 that the Senate has postponed its August break. That year, the Senate was scheduled to leave for its recess around Aug. 6 but postponed it in order to work on health care, among other issues, according to the Senate historian. The chamber worked until Aug. 25 then returned on Sept. 12.
Meanwhile there were new developments Tuesday on the GOP health care bill, a revised version of which is expected on Thursday. More money has been proposed to treat opioid addition and for the state stabilization fund to help people afford their health care with subsidies. Also being added is a measure that allows people to use their pre-tax income deposited into Health Savings Accounts on insurance premiums, something that is currently not allowed. Finally, a 3.8 percent tax on the wealthy will not be repealed, giving Republicans an estimated $170 billion over ten years to fund their health care bill. Eliminating those taxes has been a prime goal of many conservative members of the House and Senate, but Democrats have hammered the bill for cutting benefits for the poor while bestowing more money on the rich.
"Now some people may say we’re going to take this bogus argument of, you know, you’re giving tax cuts to the rich and cutting Medicaid to the poor," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the second ranking Republican. "It’s a bogus argument, but [we're] trying to take one sharp stick off the table in that regard."
Missing from the proposed changes to the bill, at least for now, are any adjustments to the cuts in Medicaid spending, which would be a slight to the more moderate Republicans who have said that the current proposal cuts the program too deeply.
One major component that remains up in the air is a proposal by two GOP senators, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, that would allow states to offer scaled-down health care plans that don't offer robust health coverage.
Republicans hope to hold a vote on health care next week, but the recess delay gives them more time. They have yet to secure one major legislative accomplishment in the first six months that they have controlled both bodies of Congress and the White House.
Eight senators, most of them newly elected, held a news conference Tuesday morning before McConnell announced his decision, calling on McConnell to cancel the recess. They noted that with the August break, only 31 legislative days exist until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 and there remains a long to-do list. There was no immediate word on whether the House will also delay its scheduled recess.
"I certainly support what he's doing," said Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who was one of the members who suggested a delayed recess. "We've got a lot of work to do: the debt ceiling, the budget and appropriations and then we've got to move onto tax."
In addition to health care, Senate Republicans hoped to be further along on tax reform at this point in the year, but a handful of GOP leaders are still working out the main points of any plan. The party must also lift the debt ceiling, something that is often rife with political brinksmanship; conservatives are mostly opposed to allowing the federal government to increase the amount it is able to spend. Plus, the Congress has yet to pass the standard appropriations bills that fund the government for the next fiscal year.
"It was mixed," Perdue said of the reaction by GOP senators during their weekly lunch, when they were told of McConnell's decision.
"I was going to Israel with a bunch of new members but I guess I'm not now," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., discussing his now-cancelled plans for the first weeks of August.
Republicans who support the delay insist that staying in Washington longer in August is not an attempt to avoid meeting face-to-face with constituents. Republicans have been holding fewer town halls recently as attendees are angry about health care.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, however, that time away from home is time away from constituents.
"I'm also a big believer in speaking with constituents is important. So folks say we should have town halls and yet want us to stay here more often, so there is a mutually exclusive aspect to that," Cassidy said.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said her party would not object to a delay. "Democrats are here any day that he tells us we are in session to fight for our constituents against their health care plan," she said. "I don't care if that's August or December."


Relax, Kyle. That is the frequent message from University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin to Kyle Washington, who admittedly is excitable.
That is the frequent message from University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin to senior forward Kyle Washington, who admittedly is the excitable type. When the message clicks, such as Washington scoring a season-high 19 points in last Saturday's 77-63 win at UCLA, the Champlin, Minnesota native can be a sight to behold.
Washington sometimes gets too exuberant, especially in the early stages of games. He sometimes makes quick fouls and turnovers, which leads Cronin to take him out. Washington also sometimes has played subpar in big games, including no points and two rebounds in an 89-76 loss at Xavier on Dec. 1.
Washington rallied with a 16-point game in a 65-50 win over Mississippi State on Dec. 12, followed by his 19-point outing at UCLA.
"The Mississippi State game got his confidence back," Cronin said. "We talked about the UCLA game, if he would just take his time. That's my thing with him. He's so excitable that he takes himself out of the game."
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Washington has battled ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) for most of his life. The disorder also is sometimes called ADD.
"He fights the ADD," Cronin said. "Playing on the road in tough environments sometimes can get him so emotional, so excited that he can't play. My job is to constantly try to get him to calm down and take his time. When he does that, he's a really good player."
Washington, when asked, will talk about his ADHD. He takes occasional medication to help himself.
"I've had that all my life," he said. "It's not even a big deal. A lot of people have it. Sometimes I might get a little excited, but never any anxiety or pressure or nervousness. I've played in big games my whole life. I just had to get it under control. I just want to be there for my teammates."
Entering Tuesday night's home game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Washington stood 13 points shy of 1,000 for his college career. That includes 404 points in two seasons at North Carolina State and 583 in the past two seasons at UC.
The left-handed Washington was making both his signature jump-hook shots and also some jumpers against UCLA, including 1-for-2 from 3-point range.
"He can score over people," Cronin said. "Very few guys score over people. Most kids need to be wide open when they shoot, or they need to create an angle in the post. They need to trick you so they can make a shot in the post. He doesn't.
"If he can take his time where he gets on balance with his face-up jumper or his jump hook, he can score over you. That's a weapon, because if a team plays great defense it's almost like you have a trump card. You can give it to him, and he has better offense than their defense if he takes his time with it. Sometimes he just gets in a big, big hurry. He needs constant reminders of that, because he's such an excitable guy."
Washington also helped hold 7-foot UCLA standout Thomas Welsh to four points, as he helped deny Welsh the ball and then challenged him when Welsh did get it.
"It's by far the best he's ever done with that, as far as his post defense," Cronin said. "We're going to show him (on video), too."
Entering Tuesday night's game, Washington was averaging 10.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season. Last season, Washington averaged 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in his first year at UC. Washington transferred to UC after two seasons at NC State, and sat out the 2015-16 season as a transfer.
NOTEWORTHY: No. 20-ranked UC (9-2) figured to have an easy time Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-12), at Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena. Pine Bluff is in the midst of playing its first 17 games away from home this season.
UC entered Tuesday with a 31-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in America. That includes games at both Fifth Third Arena and NKU. The Bearcats' last home loss was 77-70 to Temple on Dec. 29, 2015 at UC.
UC is playing home games at NKU this season while Fifth Third Arena is being renovated. The Bearcats will return to Fifth Third next season.
Senior forward Gary Clark last Saturday became the leading rebounder of the 12-year Cronin coaching era. Clark had 11 rebounds at UCLA and now has 920 for his career, surpassing Yancy Gates (916 from 2008-12) on the list of Cronin's top rebounders.


From Kim Foxx in Chicago to Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, reform-minded prosecutors are facing pressure from organizers working to transform the criminal justice system.
Fixing a system that ravages black and brown communities takes more than just electing a prosecutor, Straight says. He explains that community organizers have to build structures to hold candidates accountable and establish a relationship in the spirit of co-governance.
In October 2015, Rev. Charles Straight, pastor of the Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton, Illinois, and other members of the People’s Lobby sat down with Kim Foxx to find out whether she was a worthy and willing partner in criminal justice reform. Straight remembers that Foxx, who was running for Cook County State’s Attorney, said she was committed to countering the failed war on drugs and stemming other drivers of mass incarceration.
The People’s Lobby, a grassroots organizing group, and Reclaim Chicago, the political action committee it supports, are two of the progressive organizations that campaigned for Foxx. The two groups claimed they knocked on more than 300,000 voters’ doors across Chicagoland to build support for Foxx in her campaign against embattled incumbent Anita Alvarez. Foxx defeated Alvarez in the March 2016 Democratic primary in a landslide and cruised to victory in the December 2016 general election, making her the first African-American woman to serve as Cook County State’s Attorney.
Organizers celebrated Foxx’s election as a rare opportunity to inject progressive reforms into a broken criminal justice system.
But their work wasn’t done.
Foxx rode into office with support from African-American activists and progressive organizations such as Reclaim Chicago, the People’s Lobby, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation and the Workers Center for Racial Justice. Foxx also benefited from the organizing work of Black Lives Matter affiliate Assata’s Daughters and their powerful #ByeAnita campaign which urged Cook County residents to vote against Alvarez due to her poor record on criminal justice issues.
Rather than simply working outside of the system, many activists are turning to electing prosecutors they believe will push progressive criminal justice policies and do less harm than their predecessors. But holding prosecutors accountable once they’re in office is not as straightforward as it can be for other elected officials. City council members, governors and senators introduce legislation through public channels, vote on-the-record regarding potential laws and allocate dollars in publicized budgeting processes.
But a prosecutor isn’t a traditional elected official. Prosecutors can choose not to seek bail in particular cases or drop charges. They can recommend that judges commit offenders to alternatives to jail or prison. They can announce policies that aim to be “tough” on crime. But prosecutors don’t control government coffers that fund their policy agenda. Prosecutorial discretion is not the same as passing a law. And it takes watching the courts in real time to document when, how, and for whom prosecutors exercise discretion, as well as what judges ultimately decide.
Organizers use their platforms to keep the conversation around criminal justice reform in the public eye.
Organizers hold small quarterly meetings with Foxx where she reports how her reform agenda has progressed.
Organizers hold public forums where Foxx talks with community members about her criminal justice reform efforts.
Organizers don’t just take Foxx’s word for it: they gather their own research and publish reports that praise Foxx’s triumphs, call out her shortcomings and assess how her prosecutors are using their discretion in the courtroom.
But on other issues, the report accuses Foxx of moving too slowly or not doing enough. She was criticized heavily for failing to institute policies that combat the war on drugs or to protect undocumented immigrants called to the court as defendants or victims who fear consequences as a result of their immigration status.
Other activists around the country have taken an approach similar to the Chicago model of prosecutorial accountability.
In Philadelphia, activists are watching Krasner, who won his office with heavy backing from African-Americans and young people. After his election, the Philadelphia Coalition for a Just District Attorney, a group of civil rights and community organizations, gathered outside Krasner’s office and announced a list of demands for his first 100 days.
Racial justice group Color of Change is a member group in the coalition, and its criminal justice campaign director Clarise McCants says organizations with the coalition have been meeting with Krasner regularly to discuss their demands.
As in Chicago, these organizations are working to build a close relationship with the district attorney’s office and keeping a close eye on whether Krasner fulfills his campaign promises.
“Even with somebody as radical as he is, there are realities around the fact that he has a wide array of people to answer to,” McCants says, noting staunch opposition to Krasner from the local police union.
Alyssa Aguilera is the political director of VOCAL- NY, a grassroots organizing group working to keep the pressure on both new Brooklyn DA Hernandez as well as incumbent Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr.
“We need to create moments for them to prove they are really holding true to their promises and are implementing the policies that they’re saying behind podiums and in their press releases,” she says.
Aguilera says she is impressed by efforts in Cook County to quantify what Foxx’s prosecutors do and don’t do in the courtrooms through the Community Courtwatching Initiative.
The initiative is administered by the Coalition to End Money Bond, which formed in May 2016 with member organizations including Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby and others. The coalition trains community members to attend bond court hearings, gather information about defendants and how prosecutors are using their discretion, and document what judges are deciding in cases.
In February, the coalition issued a massive report sharing data and analysis from its court watching initiative that highlighted the progress and shortcomings of various reform measures. In an example of an area where Foxx did not perform up to expectations, the report assessed the impact of a policy she announced in June 2017 that ordered prosecutors to proactively recommend pretrial release through I-Bonds, or no-cash bonds, for some defendants charged with misdemeanors and certain low-level felonies such as retail theft, damage to public property or use of controlled substances.
“While this measure from the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is well-intentioned and creates an unlikely ally and advocate for pretrial release by having prosecutors voice support for I-Bonds, the policy only applies to a small percentage of people in bond court: 8 percent at the highest period observed,” the report notes.
In late February, Aguilera says New York groups launched a similar court monitoring operation called Court Watch NYC, inspired by what’s happening in Cook County. Court Watch NYC is a collaboration between her group VOCAL-NY, the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, a non-profit organization that helps pay bail for New Yorkers who can’t afford it, and 5 Boro Defenders, a coalition of public defenders who organize to reform the criminal justice system.
McCants doesn’t know that any prosecutor would be able to completely transform the system, because they ultimately have to operate within it. “But they are extremely powerful decision makers and they hold a lot of the power,” she says.
Krasner, like Foxx, campaigned to end mass incarceration, reform the bail system, treat addiction as a medical issue rather than a crime and other progressive policies. But Krasner, a former civil rights attorney, comes from a much different pipeline than Foxx, a political protégé of Cook Democratic establishment stalwart Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle whose resume includes a stint as an assistant state’s attorney.
In February, Krasner announced his prosecutors would no longer bring to trial simple marijuana possession, and would not seek cash bail for people charged in about two dozen misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies such as driving under the influence, resisting arrest and prostitution.
“The fact that thousands of people are not going to be locked up because they’re not going to be seeking bail in these cases is not the full measure of dismantling the system. But people aren’t going to be sitting in jail,” McCants says.
Activist and writer Shaun King is also praising Krasner. In a March 21 story in The Intercept, King notes that talking about criminal justice reform has gotten a lot of prosecutors elected around the country, and “once in office, their reforms have often been painfully slow and disappointing,” but Krasner so far has been a different case.
“Krasner was the first candidate elected who publicly committed not just to intermittent changes, but a radical overhaul. … So far, having been in office less than three months, he has exceeded expectations. He’s doing something I’ve never quite seen before in present-day politics: Larry Krasner’s keeping his word — and it’s a sight to behold.” King writes.
McCants says prosecutors such as Krasner are critical because they can reduce harm in communities of color in the short term and help transform the justice system in the long term.
She sees prosecutors who engage with reformers as “a wedge in the system,” to inch the door open for more radical changes down the line.
Many of the same progressives who helped Foxx win her election argue that she hasn’t done enough to help end the drug war in Cook County. They want to see her foster the transformation from a law-and-order approach to the public health approach she championed when volunteers were knocking on thousands of doors and making calls to get her elected.
Sharlyn Grace, senior criminal justice policy analyst and staff attorney at Chicago Appleseed, says Foxx ran on a platform premised on the belief that people don’t belong in the criminal justice system because they use or are addicted to drugs.
“These are thousands of peoples’ lives unnecessarily and counterproductively being funneled into the system,” Grace says.
In September 2014, a Chicago Reporter investigation by Angela Caputo found that since 2006, individuals had been processed at Cook County Jail and released more than 100,000 times for drug possession. The investigation also found that drug possession was the number one reason people find themselves behind bars at Cook County Jail.
“But the office is continuing as of now to prosecute them in the same way that Alvarez’s office did,” Grace says.
Foxx maintains her belief that a public health approach is vital. However, she insists that meaningful movement to end the drug war won’t come from her office alone. It will require cooperation from police departments, judges, lawmakers and public health officials.
Foxx says she can use her platform to push the political conversation toward criminal justice reform and the dire need to treat drug use as a public health issue. She says she can also push prosecutors to use more discretion in criminal cases against drug users, but that she alone isn’t enough to change the trajectory of the system.
Foxx explains that the state’s attorney’s office can lobby for more drug offenders to be put in court-ordered drug treatment or other diversion programs meant to avoid criminal prosecutions. But there have to be treatment options on the table with enough capacity.
“Having people not prosecuted but still addicted and engaging in other things to feed that addiction isn’t going to help,” she says.
According to Foxx, a public health approach to drug use also requires that judges recognize that “addiction means sometimes people fall off the wagon and we can’t just throw them in jail” if they slip up while in diversion programs. Grace points out that we still have laws in the Illinois Criminal Code that make it the job of police to haul drug users to jail in the first place, and that leaves citizens at the mercy of prosecutors and judges.
“That’s why we need laws that are less about discretion and more about limiting power in ways to reduce impact on communities,” Grace says.
Foxx also faces other serious obstacles to her reform agenda. She says it’s a struggle to get prosecutors to shift away from the idea that a high conviction rate is the marker of success. Most of the attorneys under Foxx were hired by her predecessor or previous states attorneys. According to Foxx’s office, about 135 assistant states’ attorneys have left since Foxx began her term on on Dec. 1, 2016: Nine retired, 25 were fired, and 101 resigned, including many attorneys who knew they were on the chopping block. Foxx has hired 56 new attorneys since then.
She also has to deal with other players in the criminal justice system that are less committed to reform, including judges. In August, a judge in Cook County threatened one of her attorneys with contempt of court for demanding that a pregnant woman forced to give birth in jail be released. The woman had been held without bail on retail theft and traffic charges.
DeAngelo Bester, executive director of the Workers Center for Racial Justice, which stumped for Foxx with the People’s Lobby, knows that Foxx faces a tough road ahead. That doesn’t mean he’s giving her a pass.
Bester says Foxx’s real test will come in 2020, when she’s up for re-election.
“If things continue down this road with her kind of slow walking the process, there won’t be the same swell of energy behind her campaign,” he says.
Yet even the most progressive prosecutor can’t stop police from racially profiling, force lawmakers to pass legislation that ensures people convicted of low-level offenses aren’t at the mercy of a prosecutor or judge’s discretion, or change how people of color affected by the criminal justice system are often deprived of the compassion they deserve. It takes more than a reform-minded prosecutor to convince people that a person’s drug use doesn’t make them a horrible human being who deserves to have their life, career and future disrupted by a prison stint.
But the thousands of top prosecutors leading counties across the country do determine how laws materially impact people’s lives, and through the decisions they make wield a tremendous amount of power in the criminal justice system. According to activists, the days of them flying under the radar of voters and community organizers has to end, and movements can and should hold their feet to the fire. Foxx, Krasner, Vance, Hernandez, and other reform-minded prosecutors are only a small fraction of the accountability picture.


1. Download the app or go to www.UberEATS.com.
2. Pick delivery location: Input the address where you’d like your meal delivered.
3. Pick your restaurant: Choose from a list on the app.
4. Place your order: Select your order and schedule the delivery time.
5. Track your delivery: Receive updates from the time your order is placed until it arrives at your location.
The drivers may be familiar faces if you already use the rideshare portion of the Uber service. The Uber Eats app is separate from the rideshare app but the drivers are typically the same for both.
Drivers can choose if they want to accept assignments from both services or just one. This will allow drivers to spend more time out on the road, whether it be delivering food or people to different locations around Macon.
Those interested in driving for Uber and Uber Eats can sign up through its online application. Drivers must be at least 19-years-old, with a valid drivers license, a smartphone and have a car that meets the Uber requirements. Those requirements include a 1998 or newer vehicle, two doors and not a salvaged vehicle. Drivers must also go through a background check with the service in order to partner with them.
The service is also taking applications from local restaurants who want Uber Eats to deliver their cuisine to customers. The application is available on their website.
Uber Eats is available globally in more than 200 cities. Macon joins Columbus, Athens, Atlanta and Augusta in the state of Georgia to have the Uber Eats service.
Uber Eats is the second food delivery service to launch in Macon in 2018. Waitr began taking orders in April of this year.


Intersections and roads in Sioux Falls are closing because of flooding on the Big Sioux River.
The City of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County are closing roads because of flooding on the Big Sioux River.
See the map below, or if you can't view it, click here.
For current flood levels, click here.


Richard Perry/The New York TimesRobert Egan, in front of his barbecue restaurant in Hackensack, N.J., says he has played an unlikely role in diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea.
In this 2010 photo, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-il, who died last weekend, applauds following a massive military parade celebrating the 65th anniversary of the communist nation’s ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea.
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Diners were chewing on pulled pork and baby back ribs here at Cubby’s barbecue restaurant on Sunday night when the owner, Robert Egan, learned that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, had died on Saturday of a heart attack.
“I got 50 calls from the press, and I was in consultation with the North Koreans all night,” Mr. Egan said, sitting in a booth on Monday in the no-frills rib restaurant he has owned since 1982.
The ripple effects of Kim’s death extended from Russia to China to Washington and, most improbably, to this restaurant, whose regular clientele is working-class locals – not Koreans.
Mr. Egan, a plain-spoken man of Irish-Italian extraction, has traveled several times since 1994 to North Korea, an isolated dictatorship that rarely welcomes foreign visitors. On one trip, he was honored with a pin with the image of Kim’s father, Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994.
At the ceremony, Kim Jong-il was on the platform. Mr. Egan said this was the closest he ever came to meeting him. But he credited Kim Jong-il with personally approving his visits to North Korea. Overall, he gave the leader a mixed review.
He said American officials should seize upon the death as a diplomatic opportunity. Embassies should be opened. Trading partnerships should be explored.
“Now is the time, right now, to develop relations,” he said.
Mr. Egan ridiculed profiles of Kim Jong-il in the Western news media that rarely neglected to note the dictator’s taste for luxury.
The walls of his restaurant are covered with dozens of pictures of Mr. Egan posing with North Korean diplomats.
He explained how he made his North Korean connections after spending the 1980s trying to find American soldiers who went missing in the Vietnam and Korean Wars. He said he got to know Vietnamese diplomats, who eventually introduced him to North Korean diplomats at the United Nations.
The North Koreans were isolated and lonely in New York, and they warmed to Mr. Egan’s knockaround-guy affability. They accepted his invitations to go on hunting and fishing trips and to New York Giants games – and, of course, to eat ribs at Cubby’s, which sits on a nondescript stretch of South River Road, near the Bergen County Jail.
Mr. Egan became especially good friends with Han Song Ryol, who once served as a senior North Korean diplomat. Intelligence officials in Washington learned that a man who owned a barbecue restaurant in New Jersey was close to North Korean government officials, and Mr. Egan said he became a diplomatic intermediary between the United States and North Korea.
When the Central Intelligence Agency began asking for information on the North Koreans, Mr. Egan said he obliged. This was not high-level spy work, he said. “I flip burgers for a living; I don’t have the codes to the nuclear bomb,” he said.
Mr. Egan said he developed his hustler’s mentality and street savvy by growing up around mobsters.
“From my upbringing with the mob, I grew up knowing it’s all about, ‘What have you done for me lately?’” he said.
“I told them, ‘When a guy who flips burgers for a living is your main man in North Korea, something’s wrong,'” he said.
Mr. Egan’s book, “Eating With the Enemy: How I Waged Peace With North Korea From My BBQ Shack in Hackensack,’’ was published last year. It thanks “the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il.” An HBO movie based on the book is set to star James Gandolfini as Mr. Egan.


Summary: Without a firm constitutional basis, early elections in Libya would not only produce a government whose legitimacy is contested even more widely, but also leave the door open for another strongman to rise to power.
To visit Libya in recent months is to encounter a country holding its breath, caught in the throes of abeyance and a deep foreboding. It is a lawless place, riddled with criminality and flare-ups of fierce fighting in the south and east. Oil revenues have fallen due to recent factional clashes and elite plunder has everyday Libyans struggling for subsistence amid deep economic crisis. Overlaying all of this is a lingering political stalemate. Formal authority is split between a feeble, internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital of Tripoli and eastern institutions dominated by Field Marshal Khalifa Hiftar, who once served under the former Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi but later had a falling-out. But much of the country’s west and south escapes the control of these rival authorities.
There has been no shortage of Western proposals to break the gridlock and stave off further collapse, the most popular of which include early elections, as French President Emmanuel Macron recently advocated for in a meeting with Libyan leaders in Paris. Proponents of this approach argue that only elections can produce a new government with the popular backing needed to overcome the legal limbo affecting all of Libya’s competing legislative and executive bodies. It is a wiping of the slate, these advocates say, a chance to sideline spoilers on both sides and replace the long-suffering GNA with a more viable body.
Yet for all of these seductions, in reality, swift elections may lead to greater disorder. Without a firm constitutional basis, voting would produce a government whose legitimacy is contested even more widely. The absence of a constitution also leaves open the executive authority of the president—a particular concern for opponents of Hiftar, who see in his support for elections a thinly veiled ploy to become ruler for life. This by itself could be a major flash point. In the Hiftar-controlled east, free elections are impossible. But even outside it, in the best case, voting results would be heavily influenced by local strongmen and militias, and polling threatens to ignite violent local conflicts.
The overview is well written but the feedback on the alternative ways to solve the crisis are vague. It seems to me the author has no clear idea of how to actually solve the Libya puzzle.
لنجاح العملية الانتخابية في ليبيا يجب أولا إبعاد جميع اللاعبين الدوليين المسيطرين ع ليبيا ومن ثم إقامة مصالحة اجتماعية شاملة يقودها الشباب ثم تعريف الإرهاب التطرفي ونبذه وتم المساهمة في تبديل لغة الحوار من الحوار المسلح إلى حوار العقول. ثم سننتطرق إلى الانتخابات التي بكل تأكيد يجب أن تكون بعد الاستفتاء ع الدستور.


Euro Disney, the cash-tight operator of the Disneyland Paris resort, got some financial breathing room Wednesday.
The company, 39% owned by Walt Disney Co. of Burbank, said it obtained waivers from its lenders and a $52-million credit line from Disney. The credit line can be drawn only after an existing $193-million credit line from Disney is fully tapped.
The waivers and the credit line "will allow time for the parties to develop a mutually acceptable resolution to the company's future financing needs," Euro Disney said.
The credit line and the waivers, however, apply only through March 31. The question of how Euro Disney, which operates two theme parks at Disneyland Paris, meets its debt obligations beyond then remains uncertain.
"It still leaves open the question of what the long-term fix is," said Bob Yow, an analyst with Bear Stearns in London.
The waivers and the credit line mark the first step toward a financial restructuring of Euro Disney, whose parks have struggled to meet attendance projections. Euro Disney warned this summer that it might default on debt payments and is expected to report wider-than-anticipated annual losses Nov. 17.
Europe's largest tourism resort has struggled with high debt and a falloff in travel from feeder markets such as Germany.


Some AIDS victims are being buried alive in Papua New Guinea by relatives who cannot look after them and fear becoming infected themselves, a health worker said Monday.
Margaret Marabe, who spent five months carrying out an AIDS awareness campaign in the remote Southern Highlands of the South Pacific nation, said she had seen five people buried while still breathing.
One was calling out "Mama, Mama" as the soil was shoveled over his head, said Marabe, who works for a volunteer organisation called Igat Hope, Pidgin English for I've Got Hope.
"One of them was my cousin, who was buried alive," she told reporters.
"I said, 'Why are they doing that?' And they said, 'If we let them live, stay in the same house, eat together and use or share utensils, we will contract the disease and we too might die.'"
Villagers had told her it was common for people to bury AIDS victims alive.
Marabe appealed to the government and aid agencies to ensure the HIV/AIDS awareness programme carried out in cities and towns was extended to the rural areas, where ignorance about the disease is widespread.
Women accused of being witches have been tortured and murdered by mobs holding them responsible for the apparently inexplicable deaths of young people stricken by the epidemic, officials and researchers say.
A recent United Nations report said PNG was facing an AIDS catastrophe, accounting for 90 percent of HIV infections in the Oceania region.
HIV diagnoses had risen by around 30 percent a year since 1997, leaving an estimated 60,000 people living with the disease in 2005.


The Hall of Famer has had some legendary calls over the years. Relive some of the favorites voted on by fans.
The following are transcriptions of Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman's favorite calls as voted on via the Reds website in 2013. For all of the calls, Martyisms and other content, visit the Reds' website here.
Doc: The Reds are family around here, and Marty sits at the head of the table.
Dunn up there with the bases loaded. The outfield deep and around toward right. And the 1-0 on the way to the plate. Swung on, long drive, right field, and this one belongs to the Reds! Can you believe it? Can you believe it? Adam Dunn with a screaming line drive into the Cleveland bullpen in right field and the Reds have done what appeared to be the impossible. His teammates are waiting on him. Jerry Narron is out of the dugout banging his hands together. Adam Dunn with a ninth-inning, two-out grand slam home run. What a finish at Great American Ball Park! The Reds have rallied to beat the Indians with nine runs in their last two at-bats. They win it 9-8!
Quickly, two strikes out in front of Perez. Has the sign, the pitch. Fly ball, center field. It's all over! It's all over! The Reds win it! The Reds win it! The Reds win it! A home run to center field by Tony Perez! The Reds win it! The Reds win it 14-13! Perez with a home run to center field! The Reds have scored five times in the ninth inning! And the Reds win on a Tony Perez home run to center field! Oh, by golly!
And Larkin grounds it to the left side. Ramos goes to Sandberg, the throw on to first. They got him. The double play ends the inning. Larkin doesn't agree with the call. Nor does Tony Perez. Nor does Lou Piniella – who runs right out there to get in the face of Dutch Rennert. He slams his hat down. And Rennert has thrown him out! Lou is now going to the first-base bag - picks it up and throws it out toward short-right field. And he's gonna pick it up again and throw it further out in right field. I'll tell you what - this is the best act we've seen this year! He threw his hat down, he was run by Rennert, he went to the first-base bag, he picked it up, he threw it toward right field, he went back and got it, and threw it out in right field again. And he has been thrown out. The inning is over. And boy, what a big-time show Lou Piniella has just put on here at the stadium!
Swung on and hit to deep left field! That might be his second of the game! It's gone, a home run! Johnny Bench with his second home run of the night. The ball bouncing out of the stands in left field. Roy White trying to decoy him. But the left-field umpire, Lou DiMuro, was out there signaling home run. And Johnny Bench has been the man of the hour for the Cincinnati Reds tonight as he homers for the second time and the Reds now lead by four runs at 6-2.
High deep drive! Left-center field!
(Joe) Get out of here! Get out of here, baseball! Bye-bye!
Larkin has hit a grand slam home run! Barry Larkin coming into this ballgame and has forevermore - among active players - had the most career at-bats without a grand slam. And in at-bat No. 6,734 - the drought is over! Larkin hits a grand slam here in the second inning, and the Reds lead it 6-0.
That one hammered to straight-away center and hit a bunch! Back is Martin, looking, high off the wall! Ball bouncing back toward the infield. Driessen, let's see, he's coming to third, he's being waved to the plate! Here comes the throw home ... and he's gonna be safe! An inside-the-park home run! Danny Driessen clubs an inside-the-park home run off the wall in center field ... as he and Barry Foote ended up in a cloud of dust! Ed Vargo right on top of the plate, signaling safe, and the Reds have tied it. A two-out, inside-the-park home run to center field by Danny Driessen. Jerry Martin went back to the wall, the ball came off, rolled back toward the infield. As Driessen rounded second he looked back over his shoulder. Got the green light from George Scherger, came to the plate. It was Jerry Martin to Mike Schmidt to Barry Foote. And Driessen is safe and the game is tied at five and five. Here's Johnny Bench. John 0-for-3. McGraw wheels and deals. Bench swings - here's a drive, deep left field, it's outta here! And this one belongs to the Reds!
Larkin swings and hits a drive - deep left field - this one belongs to the Reds! Barry Larkin comes back to the lineup for the first time since the 14th of April and lines a home run to the lower deck in left.
Concepcion pinch-hitting for Pedro Borbon and here's Mike Marshall's first pitch plateward. Swung on, a looper, left-center field, a base hit, here comes Chaney, the throw to the plate, and this one belongs to the Reds!
Browning ready with his payoff. There goes Ozzie. Swung on, drive, deep left-center field. Eric Davis going back to the wall. He leaps! And he got it! He has taken another home run away! Un-believable!
2-0 delivery. Swung on! Fly ball, deep right field. Junior has homered for the first time as a Red! He turns around a 2-and-0 pitch from Scott Downs and drills it over the wall in right.
(Joe) Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!
His second home run of the inning! Ray Knight has hit his second home run of the inning and this one comes with the bases loaded! Cincinnati winning it 14-4. Knight's second career grand slam. His second of the inning. And boy the Reds are doing it all offensively tonight!
You cannot accomplish any more than he did in the time he spent with the Louisville RiverBats and I guarantee you they're sorry that he's gone. Batted .459 – led the International League in batting – also led the league in hits and triples and on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He did absolutely everything offensively and here he is in his first game. And the pitch is swung on and lined to center field, base hit. How about that!
Larkin running, pitch is swung on! Hit to deep right field, down the line! Home run!
(Joe) Get out of here! Get out!
Deion Sanders a three-run home run to right! Unbelievable!


'I saw helicopter in flames' Jump to media player Aaron Rogers has spoken to the BBC about witnessing a helicopter crashing into a crane at a building site in south London.
Eyewitness: 'I thought it was a bomb' Jump to media player Construction worker Andrew Beadle tells the BBC about witnessing a helicopter crash into a crane in central London.
'I heard unusual buzzing sound' Jump to media player A helicopter has crashed into a crane in Vauxhall. Eyewitness Chris Matherson told BBC News what he saw and heard at the scene.
Aaron Rogers, who witnessed a helicopter crashing into a crane at a building site in south London, has described the experience as "surreal".
He told the BBC that he was at Vauxhall bus station when he heard a bang, looked up and "saw bits of helicopter debris flying to the floor".
Police said they first received calls at 08:00 GMT and the London Ambulance Service said it was also at the scene.


Waze, the hippest turn-by-turn directions app since probably ever, has just added another name to its list of celebrity directions-givers: Tom Mison, the actor who plays Ichabod Crane on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow. Presumably, his directions involve a lot of spooky historical mysteries, warnings about the Headless Horseman, and just a general sense of him being totally confused by the whole process. Crane is a few hundred years old, after all. Back in his day, most GPS apps were simply burned at the stake.
As we reported back in September, the app also features the voices of Kevin Hart and Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Terry Crews. Variety says the Ichabod Crane voice is part of a “Halloween-themed marketing promotion” that runs through October 31, so his voice will probably no longer be available after that. Drivers looking to celebrate the holiday and also help support the Fox network can access the voice by opening the app, going to “Settings,” then “Sound,” and selecting “English (US)—Ichabod.” For a special Halloween treat, use the Ichabod Crane voice to get directions to Sleepy Hollow, New York—the setting for Washington Irving’s original story. Or, for a Halloween treat that’s a little less special, use the Crane voice to get directions to Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, a town that just decided it was a cool name.


Student sportsmen and women have laced their boots to show bigotry the red card.
Players from the university’s women’s and men’s rugby squads and the women’s football team donned rainbow-coloured laces on Sunday, in support of a national campaign to kick homophobia out of sport.
The Rainbow Laces campaign aims to tackle homophobia in sport and raise awareness of issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender players and fans.
Cambridge women’s rugby captain Lara Gibson said: “We’re wearing rainbow laces to send a clear message that all sport – either as a participant or supporter – is for everyone.
“Around the world, many LGBT+ people want to take part in sport, either as players or fans, but the behaviour of a minority can make people feel unwelcome, unsafe or unable to be themselves.
Varsity women’s football captain Gerda Bachrati donned the laces ahead of the first ever Varsity Football double-header on Sunday, when both Cambridge's men’s and women’s teams took on Oxford at The Hive Stadium, home of Barnet FC. Unfortunately it was a double victory for the Other Place, with both Cambridge teams failing to defeat their bitter rivals.
The university's equality champion Dr Nick Bampos said: “I’m proud to see our teams joining Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, encouraging all of us to do our part in making all people feel welcome in sport.
“It’s crucial for organisations like the University of Cambridge to show we not only welcome LGBT+ people, but are active in leading positive change."
LGBT+ charity Stonewall is behind the campaign. For more information, or to buy a pair of the laces, see here for details.


In an interview with CBS News' Jeff Glor, President Trump weighs in on his potential 2020 election opponents, saying Joe Biden would be a "dream" opponent.
Because Donald Trump is, well, Donald Trump, a lot of attention has been paid to his hostile takeover of the Republican Party -- and how he continues to consolidate that power.
What that focus on how Trump killed the old -- and by that we mean the 2012 -- version of the Republican Party misses is how much the Democratic Party has evolved -- and is evolving -- in its own way.
Like Republicans, that change sped up -- rapidly -- in 2016. It was led by an unlikely figure -- Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders. To say Sanders was lightly regarded when he started running against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to do a disservice to the term "lightly regarded."
But what Sanders understood was that the Democratic Party of 2016 wasn't the "Third Way," centrism-over-all Democratic Party of Bill Clinton and the mid-1990s. The Democratic base had moved to the left on virtually every issue -- pushed that way by the financial collapse of the late 2000s and ready to be mobilized on behalf of a candidate who embraced things like radical campaign finance reform, single-payer health care insurance and unapologetic tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans.
Sanders didn't win. But he awoke something in Democrats. And, when Hillary Clinton lost the general election to Donald Trump, Sanders' message and stock gained further prominence. Voters wanted someone who said what they meant and meant what they said.
The last two years have proven -- beyond any reasonable debate -- that the progressive end of the party is growing. Whether that growth is enough to produce a nominee from that end of the party remains a question.
What's interesting to contemplate is that while Sanders may be the founder of the (r)evolution within the Democratic Party, he may well watch politicians who are later-arrivers to his brand of liberalism pass him by in the fight for the party nod come 2020. Sanders, who will be 79 on Election Day 2020, may struggle to argue that he is the "new" face that many Democrats want.


Indian American actor Rizwan Manji, who appears in a recurring role on Syfy’s “The Magicians” and on the upcoming third season of USA’s “Mr. Robot,” has joined the cast of the Robert Krzykowski-helmed drama, “The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot,” reports Deadline.
The film, which is in the middle of principal photography, is from Epic Pictures, and stars Sam Elliot as an American war veteran.
Written by Krzykowski, the Deadline report adds, the story is set in 1987 and follows Calvin Barr (Elliott) who, decades after serving in World War II and assassinating Adolf Hitler, is contacted to lead the charge on hunting down the fabled Bigfoot who is hidden deep inside the Canadian wilderness.
The film also stars Aidan Turner, and Caitlin FitzGerald. It is produced by Krzykowski, Lucky McKee, Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson. Epic Pictures is financing and handling worldwide sales.


Shares of video game publisher Electronic Arts fell after retailer GameStop reported weak third-quarter earnings on Nov 23. GameStop stock plunged as much as 16% that day, while EA stock slid about 6%. It might seem logical to dump a game publisher's stock after a major game retailer misses earnings expectations, but it doesn't really make much sense due to the differences between physical and digital distribution.
Source: GameStop 3Q earnings report.
At first glance, it looks like sales of consoles and video games are falling across the board. However, console sales were expected to slow down, since the PS4 and Xbox One have both been on the market for two years. Sales of physical software were also expected to fall, due to the growth of digital distribution channels. GameStop's digital games revenue also shouldn't be considered a bellwether for the digital market, since many gamers download games directly from the PlayStation Store, Xbox One Game Store, or Steam.
Simply put, customers buy consoles from GameStop, but they gradually lose touch with the retailer as the hardware ages. These customers then cut GameStop out of the sales loop by buying games through other digital distribution channels. GameStop is trying to counter this trend by offering more digital downloads and diversifying into consumer electronics, but those businesses still generate a small percentage of its overall revenue.
Why EA is differentUnlike GameStop, Electronic Arts has made a fairly smooth transition to the digital gaming model. Last quarter, non-GAAP packaged goods revenue (58% of sales) fell 13% to $666 million, but digital revenues (42% of sales) rose 6% annually to $480 million. Sixteen percent of those digital revenues came from full game downloads, 42% came from extra content like DLCs, 17% came from subscriptions and advertising, and 25% came from mobile games.
EA earned 74.5% of its revenues from consoles during the quarter. In addition to selling digital games through the PlayStation and Xbox One Stores, it recently partnered withComcast to deliver cloud-based games to TVs via its X1 set-top boxes. That partnership enables Xfinity subscribers to use a mobile device as a controller to play EA games streamed over the Internet. Last year, EA introduced EA Access, a subscription-based service which grants Xbox One gamers unlimited access to select titles. These initiatives will ensure that digital revenues flow from living rooms back to EA.
On PCs, EA sells its digital games through Origin, a Steam-like DRM platform which has over 50 million users. By keeping its games within this walled garden, EA maintains tighter control over pricing. It is also reportedly planning an EA Access-like subscription service for Origin. EA's PC/browser revenues accounted for 14.4% of its sales last quarter.
EA's total non-GAAP revenues fell 5.7% annually last quarter to $1.15 billion, which still beat estimates by $50 million. That slowdown wasn't surprising, due to currency headwinds and tough comparisons to last year, when The Sims 4 launched. But looking ahead, EA expects a strong holiday quarter thanks to the launch of Star Wars: Battlefront. For that quarter, EA expects non-GAAP EPS of $1.75 on revenue of $1.78 billion, which exceeds the consensus estimate for EPS of $1.73 on $1.75 billion in revenue.
Comparing apples to orangesGameStop and EA run on very different business models: Sluggish sales of new hardware and software at GameStop doesn't mean that sales of all games are sliding -- it just means that the distribution model is changing.
This doesn't necessarily mean that EA is an ideal investment at current prices. EA has high expectations for the holiday quarter, but the period could still be rough on margins due to steep discounts and the aggressive bundling of top games with new consoles. However, investors shouldn't sell EA simply because GameStop had a rough quarter.
The article Don't Punish Electronic Arts Inc For GameStop Corp's Mistakes originally appeared on Fool.com.


ट्रेन की अंतिम एक हफ्ते की स्थिति बरेलीएक्स.
What time BAREILLY EXP depart from लोकमान्यतिलक Railway Station?
बरेलीएक्स. (14313) departs from लोकमान्यतिलक Railway Station at 08:05.
How much time BAREILLY EXP take to reach बरेली Railway Station?
बरेलीएक्स. reach on day 2 to बरेली Railway Station. The arrival time of बरेलीएक्स. at बरेली Railway Station is 15:55.
बरेलीएक्स. covers 1586 km to reach बरेली Railway Station at average speed of 50 km/hr. बरेलीएक्स. passes through 25 stations.
लोकमान्य तिलक एर्णाकुलम दु. एक्स.


Martin O'Neill parted company with Sunderland on Saturday night after the Black Cats slipped deeper into relegation trouble.
The 61-year-old's departure was confirmed hours after the 1-0 home defeat by Manchester United, which left the club sitting just a point clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone with seven games left to play.
A club statement said: "Sunderland AFC has announced that it has parted company with manager Martin O'Neill this evening. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Martin and wishes him well for the future. An announcement will be made in the coming days regarding a successor."
A run of eight league games without a win which has yielded only three points ultimately cost O'Neill his job after a little more than 15 months at the helm.
The Black Cats' last victory came at Wigan on January 19, and with trips to European champions Chelsea and rivals Newcastle to come ahead of bogey team Everton's visit to the Stadium of Light on April 20, things could get worse before they get better.
O'Neill, of course, was the man whose appointment Sunderland fans had craved for years, and his arrival at the Stadium of Light in December 2011 was greeted with delight. The Northern Irishman had never made any secret of his boyhood affection for the club and the chance to manage them fulfilled a long-held dream.
His start was just what owner and chairman Ellis Short was looking for as a run of seven victories in his first 10 league games eased the club out of relegation trouble and sent spirits soaring.
The Black Cats ran out of steam towards the end of the campaign, but with their top-flight status secured and the promise of a summer rebuilding programme, attention turned to the new campaign with genuine optimism.
That only increased when Short provided O'Neill with a total of £22million with which to buy Scotland international striker Steven Fletcher and England winger Adam Johnson, and the American put his hand in his pocket once again in January to add Danny Graham and Alfred N'Diaye to the squad.
However, only Fletcher, who was this week ruled out for the remainder of the season with ankle ligament damage, has hit the ground running with his 11 goals a major contribution to the 31 points they have claimed to date.


The wait staff goes out of its way to make sure that diners are given detailed service. One night, we overheard a waiter offering to have the kitchen make a special seafood linguine for the cowboy (Stetson, Wranglers, and all) who dined solo next to us. Later, this country gentleman said it was the best pasta he's ever had.
It's fun to see Nicola, a waiter from Trieste on the Adriatic Sea, describe the food. And, even better yet, open a bottle of wine.
That night, we started with salmon carpaccio ($8.50) and glasses of Zenato pinot grigio ($6).
Soon, a basket of warm focaccia bread arrived, situated next to a glass ramekin of red chili flake and garlic-kicked olive oil.
The carpaccio was super-thin slices of lightly smoked salmon, semi-cured in lemon juice and finished with extra virgin olive oil, capers, scallion and pulverized Reggiano Parmigiano. We just scooped the delicious shaved fish onto slices of crunchy crostini, followed by a sip of semi-dry pinot grigio.
For an intermezzo, we had simple green salads (gratis with entrÃ©es) tossed in vinaigrette and sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles.
In no time, we were staring at a veal chop special ($30.25) and ravioli con aragosta ($20.75), al dente pasta pouches stuffed with briny lobster meat, lemon zest and ricotta cheese, topped with a bright tomato sauce and two sautéed prawns that were slightly overcooked.
Most impressive was the pan-seared veal chop — French-cut, 14 ounces and perfectly cooked to medium-rare — smothered with roasted garlic cloves, grape tomatoes and finely shaved black truffles.
The chop was finished with fresh sage and a buttery pan sauce, positioned atop an earthy mound of black truffle risotto. A glass of Secco Bertani Valpolicella ($7) cut right through the fat.
We had a grand finale of chocolate-marionberry torte ($5.50), a dense wedge of dark and silky cake studded with plump, little berries.
A few nights later, we stopped in for appetizers.
Right away, we were intrigued by the prospect of fresh asparagus in the fall.
Lightly blanched, locally grown asparagus spears ($8.75) were wrapped with salty prosciutto di Parma and dusted with grated Reggiano Parmigiano.
We also enjoyed the pizza Bianca ($11.50), a medium-sized pie simply topped with marinated artichoke hearts, goat cheese, spinach and caramelized onions. The crust offered a sturdy yet light foundation. We ate the pizza Italian-style — with a fork and knife.
The kitchen gladly split a smoked boar shank entrée ($25) for us. A large hind shank was slowly braised — osso buco-style with tomato, red wine, roasted garlic and basil — until the meat barely clung to the bone, served on a bed of pillowy potato gnocchi tossed in a smoky pan sauce.
Vuolo seems to have a firm grasp on Tuscan cuisine. Don't forget to give him a wild hand gesture on the way out.
James Patrick Kelly is The Idaho Statesman's restaurant critic. E-mail him at jpkfood@earthlink.net. Listen to him at 7 a.m. Saturdays on "Weekend Idaho" on KBOI 670-AM.
Gino's Grill is just across the mezzanine from his other restaurant on 8th street, Gino's Italian Ristorante.


The bid is worth $7.2 billion and would give CSRA stockholders 55 percent ownership of the combined company.
Public sector powerhouse CACI International has submitted a $7.2 billion bid to acquire rival solution provider CSRA – a move that could thwart U.S. defense contractor General Dynamics' planned purchase of CSRA for $6.8 billion.
CSRA, No. 14 on the 2017 CRN Solution Provider 500, acknowledged receiving an "unsolicited" proposal from CACI to buy all of its outstanding common stock in exchange for a mixture of cash and equity. The offer is worth $44 per share, including cash equivalent to $15 per share and a 0.184 CSRA-CACI equity trade ratio, and would give CSRA stockholders 55 percent ownership of the combined company.
The offer General Dynamics made last month is an all-cash deal worth $40.75 per share and includes a $2.8 billion CSRA debt assumption, giving it a total value of $9.6 billion. However, that proposal will expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on April 2.
CSRA said its board of directors "will carefully review and consider" the CACI overture. Falls Church, Va.-based CSRA remains subject to the initial agreement with General Dynamics, which would be owed $204 million if CSRA chooses to pursue a deal with CACI, No. 16 on the CRN Solution Provider 500.
General Dynamics has a $66 billion market cap, compared to CACI's market valuation of $3.88 billion.
General Dynamics plans to proceed with its tender offer to acquire CSRA and said the transaction would close shortly after the offer expires on April 3. The defense contractor claims that CACI’s bid ’overstates the real value to the CSRA shareholders and understates the risk attendant to it,’ arguing that 65 percent of CACI’s $44 per share offer depends upon an all-time high share price of the solution provider’s ’volatile’ common stock.
General Dynamics further maintains that the CACI proposal would both saddle the combined government solution provider with debt of $6.8 billion and thrust a ’significant’ opportunity cost on CSRA shareholders if the transaction does not close until CACI’s estimated date of July 31, 2018.
General Dynamics provides business jet, submarine, combat vehicle, communication systems and other tactical assets to the U.S. government. The aerospace and defense company had been planning to make CSRA part of its information systems and technology division, which delivers IT solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, intelligence outfits and federal civilian agencies.
Similarly, Arlington, Va.-based CACI supports "national security missions" and government IT operations in defense, intelligence and federal civilian agencies.


It looks like Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper are dating again! The co-stars spent virtually every second of this weekend together and showed much more PDA than they did during their first go earlier this year. So are they just friends or finally ready to take their relationship to the next level?
I’m not quite sure yet. It was only two weeks ago the former lovers looked uber awkward together at The Words premier. Zoe and Brad met and hooked up while filming but called it quits after three months together. I figured it was just a rebound for Zoe since she had recently split with her boyfriend of 10 years right before. And Bradley always seems like he’s game to date whatever starlet will help his career out at the moment. But perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder?
They had a very busy Saturday. Bradley was spotted doing the walk of shame from Zoe’s house early in the morning. I love the pics of Zoe waving to him from her place. She’s saying good bye over a giant bowl of cereal. So cute! Then Bradley had just enough time to play tennis before he and Zoe were snapped exiting Archlight Dome Theater where they watched The Master. Look at the body language. They seem comfortable! And now they’re not trying to sell me a crappy movie so I’m more open to believe they are actually a couple.
So do we care about this couple? I’m ambivalent really. I have a much bigger crush on Zoe than Bradley, World’s Sexiest Man be damned! But they’re cute. They work I guess. But I always have this weird feeling about Bradley. He’s like Bethenny Frankel or Jennifer Aniston. I just get the vibe he’s trying to play the viewer in some way, like nothing is authentic. But I can’t go there with Zoe. Center Stage forever! So I’m just going to have to get behind this couple for the time being.
What do you think? Are Zoe and Bradley trying to see if love can strike twice or do you think this could be a showmance or maybe was at one time?
Are Tom Cruise And Cameron Diaz Dating?
Brazilian Model Adriana Lima Gives Birth to Beautiful Baby Girl!


President Obama plans to lay out a timetable for U.S. involvement in the Afghan war when he announces his decision this week to send more forces, officials said.
WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to lay out a time frame for winding down the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan when he announces his decision this week to send more forces, senior administration officials said Sunday.
Although the speech was still in draft form, the officials said the president wanted to use the address at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday night not only to announce the immediate order to deploy roughly 30,000 more troops, but also to convey how he intends to turn the fight over to the Kabul government.
The officials would not disclose the time frame. But they said it would not be tied to particular conditions on the ground nor would it be as firm as the current schedule for withdrawing troops in Iraq, where Mr. Obama has committed to withdrawing most combat units by August and all forces by the end of 2011.
Officials of one allied nation who have been extensively briefed on the president’s plan said, however, that Mr. Obama would describe how the American presence would be ratcheted back after the buildup, while making clear that a significant American presence in Afghanistan would remain for a long while. That is designed in part to signal to Pakistan that the United States will not abandon the region and to allay Pakistani fears that India will fill the vacuum created as America pulls back.
Some leading members of Congress talked publicly Sunday about their hope that the president would explain an endgame for American involvement in the eight-year war that includes how Afghans will assume more of their security needs.
But more hawkish Republicans cautioned that setting a deadline for withdrawal could signal a lack of resolve to allies, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Senior lawmakers also warned the White House on Sunday that its expected troop buildup in Afghanistan would fail unless the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan did more to combat militants attacking American forces, a concern that administration officials concede is a major vulnerability in President Obama’s new war strategy.
At West Point, Mr. Obama was expected to describe commitments from Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, and specific benchmarks his government must meet: to crack down on corruption, deploy well-trained Afghan troops and police officers, and focus on development in one of the world’s poorest nations. Mr. Obama was expected to be far less specific about Pakistan, where Taliban leaders are commanding operations across the border against American forces, and where Al Qaeda’s central leadership still lives.
The problems in Afghanistan have only been compounded by the fragility of Mr. Obama’s partner in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari, who is so weak that his government seems near collapse. On Friday, Mr. Zardari relinquished his position in Pakistan’s nuclear command structure, turning it over to the prime minister, in what appeared to be an effort to avoid impeachment or prosecution, and retain at least a figurehead post.
White House officials have said relatively little about the Pakistan side of the administration’s evolving war strategy, in part because they have so few options and so little leverage. They cannot send troops into Pakistan, and they cannot talk publicly about one of their most effective measures, the Central Intelligence Agency’s Predator drone strikes in the country.
Mr. Obama’s advisers previously signaled that the president wanted to outline, as he had before, expectations for the Afghan government. This time, they said, the goals would be more explicit and demanding, aimed at improving governance and curbing corruption.
But the advisers have been debating whether to put deadlines on those benchmarks, like the pace of training Afghan security forces to defend their country.
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top NATO and American commander in Afghanistan, is expected to testify about Mr. Obama’s new strategy on Dec. 8 to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees in Washington, the official said. His appearance is expected to follow Congressional testimony later this week by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The administration has sought to build consensus among crucial allies to reach this point. In the last two weeks, Mr. Obama dispatched two top aides to Pakistan to deliver the same message: Keep the pressure on.
In separate visits to Islamabad, the capital, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, and the president’s national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, told Pakistani officials that no matter how many more troops the president sent to Afghanistan, the effort would fail unless Pakistan increased strikes against Al Qaeda’s leadership and Mullah Muhammad Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban in the southern Pakistani city of Quetta, and the Haqqani network, militants operating out of North Waziristan who have attacked Afghan and NATO targets in eastern Afghanistan and Kabul, the Afghan capital.


Thailand's ruling political party is meeting in Bangkok Wednesday to discuss a possible successor to ousted Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
Mr. Samak was forced to resign Tuesday after Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled he violated the constitution by accepting payment for appearing on a television cooking show while in office.
His People's Power Party, the largest in Thailand's six-party ruling coalition, has vowed to nominate the ex-premier for the post. But the 73-year-old Samak has been in seclusion since Tuesday's court decision, and there is speculation he will reject the party's nomination.
The Thai parliament will meet Friday to elect a new prime minister.
Leaders of an anti-government group, the People's Alliance for Democracy, who seized control of Bangkok's Government House in Bangkok late last month say the group will continue its protest if Mr. Samak is re-elected.
The protesters were demanding the prime minister's resignation, accusing him of being a proxy for ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Mr. Thaksin was deposed in 2006 by a military coup. He is living in exile in Britain to avoid a slew of corruption charges against him.
Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is serving as acting prime minister. The court ruled the cabinet must also step down, but could stay on as a caretaker government for 30 days.


There’s a reason no one talks about Sham, Ernst Schmied, and Josiah Bartlett: Number two just doesn’t have the pizzazz of number one. We scoured the Chicago area to find our Secretariats, Edmund Hillarys, and John Hancocks.
Marty Cook was a 34-year-old high-school dropout and recovering alcoholic who desperately needed inspiration and a buddy. Seven years ago, he found both in an unlikely source—irascible, imperious Dan Rostenkowski, the fallen political giant.
In 1855, Chicago embarked on a far-fetched scheme to hoist itself out of the mud and gunk. On the 155th anniversary of the project’s launch, we take a lively illustrated look back.
Arthur—the heart of Illinois Amish country—seems like a place out of time. Life here may be traditional, but the people face a contemporary issue: the economy.
ARTS & CULTURE Introducing Prescott Tolk, a chops-busting comedian with a Northwestern degree; “Pocket Guide” preps for not one but two ’paloozas; a new book examines a Jazz Age anomaly: murderesses; the design duo Materious on love and household objects; a psychedelic theatre fest wraps up the summer performance season; Ballet West joins the Chicago Dancing Festival. WHAT I WAS THINKING Exelon’s John Rowe on growing up on a farm, climate change, and the utility’s nuclear power play THE ESCAPE ARTIST Travel to the rough fringes of Door County, Wisconsin, for natural wonders and other off-the-grid discoveries. STYLE Presenting the 2010 Hair Awards: 32 recommended salons in the city and suburbs. Plus: Caught on camera—our favorite ’dos!
Our nightlife writer learns the ropes at her new neighborhood bar.
As part of our 40th-anniversary countdown, we crown Chicago’s 40 most memorable sports moments. Let the arguments begin.
Is Groupon, the local Internet start-up that offers online shoppers daily discounts, the real deal?
From Buddhism to sushi rolling, these eight courses provide a taste of foreign cultures.
I don’t know as much about Chicago bars as I thought I did.
Food with a view at Elate; five stalwarts hold their ground.


Will Sri Lanka's Tamils Get Some Measure of Justice from the United Nations?
Forty-seven governments on the Untied Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) will discuss and decide, beginning at its May 30th session, what to do about an unusually candid and truthful report in the world of international politics.
The Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka was delivered to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 31 concerning both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the last phases of the 26-year old civil war that ended May 19, 2009, and the consequences for approximately 300,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and, by extension, for the 2.7 million Sri Lankan Tamils, who were the losers in the war. Some 13% of the Sri Lanka's 21 million people are Tamil.
After receiving the report, which calls for investigations into these allegations, Ban Ki-moon stated that he did not have the power alone but that one of three UN bodies could request such action by either the General Assembly or the Security Council or the Human Rights Council.
The panel--chairman Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), Steven Ratner (US), and Yasmin Sooka (South Africa)--was commissioned by the Secretary General, June 22, 2010, after Sri Lanka's government had failed to rehabilitate or reconcile with the Tamils affected by the brutal war. According to the panel's finding, the war caused up to 40,000 civilian deaths in its last eight months. Also killed were several thousand government soldiers and combatants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The Panel began its work in September 2010 but had to conduct its research outside Sri Lanka as the government refused this United Nations body permission to enter its country. The Panel could interview many eye witnesses, however, who were eventually released from military camps after months of detention--in many cases after paying bribes--or who were able to escape the war zone towards the end on boats provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Several ICRC workers and other humanitarian employees were killed by government military shelling.
Of the dozens of recommendations proposed by the panel, the last two concern the United Nations.
"The Human Rights Council should be invited to reconsider its May 2009 Special Session Resolution (A/HRC/8-11/L. 1/Rev. 2) regarding Sri Lanka, in light of this report."
This refers to reconsidering resolution originally proposed by the Sri Lankan government to praise its behavior in the war and to condemn only the LTTE for war crimes and terrorism. Not a member of the HRC, Sri Lanka got Cuba, then the Non-Aligned Movement president, to introduce it. It passed with 29 voting in favor and 12 against, with six abstentions.


Former England batsman James Taylor said he thought he was going to die during a pre-season match for Nottinghamshire last month as a heart condition that forced his early retirement from cricket flared up.
"My heart was going wild at a funny rhythm. It was probably only about four degrees, really cold, and I got inside. Sweat from me is hitting the ground hard so I knew I wasn't right," he said of the match against Cambridge University.
"That's when I thought I was going to die."
The 26-year-old, thought he was suffering from a viral infection but scans showed he had a heart condition known as Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Arrhythmia (ARVC), the same condition that almost killed former Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba.
The middle-order batsman played seven tests and 27 one-day internationals for England and captained the side against Ireland in May last year.
Speaking to the BBC, Taylor said he had no inkling of the heart complaint as the new season loomed and was "in hysterics" when doctors first told him he would have to retire.
"I was feeling good as gold, in fact my lead up to this season was probably the best I've ever felt, mentally and technically," he said.
"When the doctor told me I was in hysterics at first.
"But then he told me that the majority of these cases are only found out in the post-mortem. I almost stopped crying at that point and felt more lucky that I'm in a position to tell this story now," added Taylor.


Cheer: The Lake County Fair, which concludes today after another successful run.
The County Fair remains a signature event for this area, not only because it offers 10 days of low-cost fun and entertainment for thousands but because it honors the region's agricultural roots and provides educational opportunities for dozens of area kids who aspire to careers in ag.
Yes, there is the midway and carnival, but the centerpiece of the fair remains the livestock shows and exhibitions that give young FFA and 4-H students a chance to exercise their skills as budding livestock breeders and sellers. They prepare all year by raising animals, learning how to nourish, groom and care for these critters to help them reach their full potential, and they must do it cost-effectively. So along the way, they learn valuable organizational and financial planning skills.
We salute fair organizers and participants and of course you, the patrons, for supporting this emerging generation of farmers and entrepreneurs.
Jeer: The White House, for a confidential plan to expand oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida. Politico reported this week that the Interior Department has been developing a draft drilling proposal that includes the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast.
Former Gov. Rick Scott, during his successful U.S. Senate run last year, received a commitment from former Interior Ryan Zinke that Florida wouldn’t be opened to drilling. But Politico reported that President Donald Trump was upset by Zinke’s announcement for conflicting with Trump's “energy dominance” message.
With former oil lobbyist David Bernhardt’s confirmation Thursday as interior secretary, a oil industry-backed drilling plan is now more likely. Sens. Scott and Marco Rubio, R-Florida, both voted in favor of Bernhardt.
As U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Gainesville, told Politico, Trump “would have a price to pay” for allowing drilling off Florida's coast — with Politico suggesting him it could cost him the state in the 2020 election. A Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters last month found more than two-thirds oppose offshore drilling.
For politics or just because it’s the right thing to do for Florida’s environment and economy, we ask President Trump to keep drilling far away from the state’s shores.
Cheer: The Florida House Criminal Justice Committee, for unanimously approving a sweeping criminal justice reform bill this week.
The legislation isn't perfect but includes measures that would help reduce recidivism and spending on incarceration. It includes measures to expand the availability of inmate reentry programs and reduce barriers to occupational licensing for people with criminal records. It would increase the threshold for felony theft to $1,000 from $300, bringing Florida more in line with other states.
But there are also things that need to be changed before the bill receives final consideration. A proposal to seal criminal records in cases in which the person wasn’t found guilty threatens the public’s right to know about these cases. And while the measure repeals and reduces driver’s license suspensions for reasons not related to driving, it would still maintain a six-month license suspension for drug possession that should just be eliminated.
With improvements, the Legislature should finally pass criminal justice reforms that have been elusive in recent years.


I've always wanted to start a story with that teaser. This time, the idea succeeded: I am now frying cheese - intentionally.
The reason I started was practical. I wanted to reproduce the fried cheese I ate at a long-gone Greek restaurant in Atlanta, in order to include the dish in a class on Mediterranean appetizers.
It wasn't merely fried cheese I had experienced years ago. It was a spectacle. Cooked at tableside, the golden-crusted slab in its little frying pan was doused with brandy. Then, a decidedly non-Greek waiter, holding it aloft, set it aflame and gushed, "Opa!"
Despite the ersatz trappings, the cheese was wonderful. It lurked in my memory.
That fried cheese, I learned much later, is called Saganaki (sa-ga-NA-kee). Despite sounding Japanese, the authentically Hellenic name derives from the shallow two-handled pan in which Greeks fry such dishes.
Fried cheese is not usually flamed in Greece. That bonus act of Greek drama is more a feature of Greek-American restaurants.
Cheeses suitable for frying differ from melting cheeses. They become soft but hold their shape.
The classical Saganaki cheeses are Kefalograviera, Kefalotyri and Kasseri from Greece and Haloumi from Cyprus. Made from sheep's milk or sheep's milk mixed with goat milk, they are expensive but delicious. That's the sort of cheese I employed in my cooking class.
Subsequently, having started to fry slabs of cheese, I learned that it's not just Greeks who do it. Some Latin American cooks also pan-fry cheese.
So I tried using Mexican-style cheeses - with success. The fresh cheeses (Quesos Fresco, Blanco, Panela and "de Frier") work well - but not the "melting" types (Quesos Quesadilla, Asadero and Oaxaca). Being made from semi-skimmed cow's milk and usually from Wisconsin, they're inexpensive, if not quite as tasty as the imported Mediterranean cheeses.
The keys to success with fried cheese are to get the lightly oiled pan medium hot (not smoking) before frying and to use a thin spatula to slide under the frying cheese to separate its crust from the pan. And before placing the cheese on the pan, dust the cheese lightly on both sides with flour (or cornstarch, if avoiding gluten).
The recipe serves 6 as a substantial snack or hors d'oeuvre.
If serving the cheese as snack, accompanied by crusty bread, a medium-bodied red wine with a little acidity, such as an Italian Sangiovese, a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais, pairs well with it.
Cut the cheese into 2-inch rectangular or triangle-shaped slices about 3⁄8 of an inch thick.
Place flour or cornstarch on a small plate. Lightly dip both sides of cheese pieces into it and tap off the excess.
Heat a non-stick or heavy-bottomed frying pan (cast-iron works well) or griddle to medium heat. Add a little smear of oil. Sear a few cheese pieces at a time, not allowing them to touch. Turn them over when golden brown. They cook quickly.
Remove cheese pieces to a plate. Squeeze on a little lime or lemon juice. If desired, grind a little black pepper on as well.
Eat the cheese hot. Accompany with crusty bread.