BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund squandered a three-goal lead and drew with Hoffenheim 3-3 at home then watched Bayern Munich cut its lead in the Bundesliga to five points on Saturday.
Bayern took advantage of Dortmund's second successive league slip-up by beating Schalke 3-1 in the late game, lifting the six-time defending champion back to second place.
Jadon Sancho starred for Dortmund in the absence of injured captain Marco Reus, but instead of putting the pressure on Bayern with what would have been a 10-point gap ahead of the late game, they allowed Hoffenheim to come back.
"A very bitter outcome," Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze said.
Dortmund, which drew at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, was missing coach Lucien Favre due to illness, and with Reus also out due to a muscular injury in Tuesday's German Cup exit to Werder Bremen, there were fears of a tough game against old rival Hoffenheim, which is fighting for European qualification.
But those fears seemed misguided with Sancho sparkling, particularly in the first half.
The 18-year-old English forward had an early goal ruled out by the video referee but opened his account with a fine finish from a narrow angle in the 32nd.
Sancho was denied a second by Oliver Baumann but Goetze prodded home the rebound before the break.
Sancho was also involved in Dortmund's third, setting up Goetze with his heel before Goetze pulled the ball back for Raphael Guerreiro to seemingly seal the win in the 67th minute.
Hoffenheim didn't give up, however.
Sancho struck the post before Ishak Belfodil scored for the visitors in the 75th. Eight minutes later, Pavel Kaderabek grabbed another. Belfodil equalized with his second goal in the 87th.
"When you lead 3-0 at home it shouldn't happen. We played well for long periods, didn't allow many chances. It's bitter how it worked out," Goetze said.
Dortmund, which squandered a four-goal lead in a dramatic 4-4 draw with Schalke last season, next visits Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Bayern, which slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, bounced back with a comprehensive defeat of Schalke, which could easily have lost by more.
Robert Lewandowski, criticized by former Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamman last week, was involved in all three goals, scoring one to lift his season tally to 13.
Lewandowski caused an own goal from Jeffrey Bruma in the 11th minute and restored Bayern's lead in the 27th, two minutes after Ahmed Kutucu scored with Schalke's first foray forward. Midfielder Weston McKennie set Kutucu through on a counterattack.
Serge Gnabry sealed Bayern's win before the hour-mark after Lewandowski inadvertently set him up with a bicycle kick.
Moenchengladbach, which had been second, lost to Hertha Berlin 3-0. Gladbach had previously won all nine of its home games this season.
Also, Hannover defeated 10-man Nuremberg 2-0 in a bottom-of-the-table match, Frankfurt drew at Leipzig 0-0, and Freiburg drew with Wolfsburg 3-3.
"Anyone who doesn't believe in the title should stay out of the dressing room," Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly said. "As long as it is mathematically possible, I will continue to believe right until the end.
"We are very competitive, we want to win and keep getting closer to Juve. We have to keep on fighting."
The 79th-minute goal was Inter's first in Serie A this year.
"I'm very happy because we got back to winning ways and that was the most important thing," Lautaro said.
"Our mindset is very important, things haven't been going as we wanted them to for a few matches. "We want to keep our distance from the chasing pack and achieve our aim, which is qualifying for next season's Champions League."
Gervinho had earlier hit the crossbar for Parma, while Inter defender Danilo D'Ambrosio had a goal ruled out after video review showed the ball came off his arm.
MADRID — Real Madrid is making it clear it's still in the fight for the Spanish league title.
With a convincing victory in the Madrid derby on Saturday, Real Madrid returned to second place in the Spanish league for the first time since September and moved within five points of leader Barcelona, which has a difficult away match against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
"We reached our goal, which was to regain second place and move closer to the lead," Madrid captain Sergio Ramos said. "The league isn't over yet. There are many points still up for grabs. We will keep fighting until the end and we will keep trying to make things difficult for Barcelona."
In a derby marked by video review, Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 3-1 at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium with an overhead kick by Casemiro, a penalty kick converted by Ramos, and a second-half goal by Gareth Bale.
"You need to play a complete match to win here, and we did that," manager Santiago Solari said.
Antoine Griezmann scored for Atletico, which lost at home for the first time this season. Diego Simeone's team stayed six points off the lead.
Griezmann's goal was initially disallowed for offside but the VAR reversed the call. Video review also had to be used to confirm the penalty that led to Ramos' goal just before halftime, and to verify another offside call that disallowed a second-half equalizer by former Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata. It was also used when Morata wanted a penalty call — not awarded — later in the game.
Atletico, coming off its first league loss since the third round, played a man down from the 80th minute after midfielder Thomas Partey was sent off for a second yellow card.
The city rivals drew their last four league matchups, and Real Madrid's last win against Atletico was nearly two years ago in the Champions League semifinals.
Casemiro opened the scoring with an overhead kick after Atletico's defense could not fully clear a corner kick.
Griezmann equalized less than 10 minutes later by sending a shot underneath goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. It took a while for the video review to reverse the offside call that initially disallowed the goal, keeping a record crowd of more than 67,752 at the Metropolitano from being able to celebrate.
Vinicius Junior made a great run down the left side and was brought down from behind by Jose Maria Gimenez just inside the area. Ramos converted the 42nd-minute penalty.
Madrid sealed its fifth straight league win with Bale's low shot from a pass by Luka Modric in the 74th. Bale, who replaced Vinicius Junior earlier in the second half, appeared to provoke the Atletico crowd during his celebration near the sideline.
Ten-man Getafe defeated Celta Vigo 3-1 at home to lift the southern Madrid club into fifth place, one point behind Sevilla.
Getafe conceded two minutes into the match but rebounded despite playing a man down from the 37th because of a red card to forward Maxi Gomez. All three Getafe goals came after the red card.
Celta stayed 16th in the 20-team standings.
Espanyol defeated Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at home with a winner by Sergi Darder five minutes into stoppage time, ending a four-game winless streak in the league.
The result kept Rayo in the relegation zone, one point from safety.
Girona, the first team outside the relegation zone, had its winless streak extended to 13 matches in all competitions after losing at home to last-placed Huesca 2-0.
PARIS — Facing a rampant Manchester United side in the Champions League was already a tough enough prospect for Paris Saint-Germain.
Tuesday night's match in chilly northwest England now looks a daunting one amid an ongoing injury crisis.
"It's very difficult to play when you've been injured like Marco," PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said. "I don't know if it's possible for him to play again at Old Trafford in three days' time. In our situation, it might be necessary."
Tuchel spoke with an air of resignation after a dull encounter in which PSG extended its lead in the French league to 13 points over second-place Lille.
"If your key players are not there, obviously it makes a difference. If Edinson is not in Manchester, then it is a big deal," Tuchel said. "There has been too much bad luck; these are players of great quality."
Cavani limped off with a thigh problem caused when he scored from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute, blasting the ball powerfully with his right foot. Moments later, he walked off before the halftime whistle was blown.
"I don't have any good news. We need to wait. I honestly don't know (if Cavani will play)," Tuchel earlier told broadcaster Canal Plus. "Yes, it's worrying. It's not a good sign. We don't have another Edi (Cavani), we don't have another Neymar."
PSG is already without Neymar — who cost PSG 222 million euros ($252 million) when he joined from Barcelona — for the next two months.
Verratti started against Bordeaux but looked rusty, with several passes going astray. Tuchel needs Verratti against a United midfield featuring the in-form Paul Pogba , but the 58 minutes he played may not have been enough to restore his sharpness and rhythm.
Strasbourg missed the chance to move from seventh to fifth place after losing at home to Angers 2-1, with 20-year-old striker Wilfried Kanga grabbing his first two goals in the top flight.
Amiens beat Caen 1-0 thanks to a goal from striker Moussa Konate and moved out of the relegation zone, while Caen dropped to 18th.
This weekend, Argentine striker Emiliano Sala is being honored with a minute of applause in the top two leagues in France. The crowd at PSG's Parc des Princes chanted the name of the Nantes player at the start of the game.
Nantes plans to retire the No. 9 jersey in memory of Sala , who died at the age of 28 last month.
Sala was flying to Wales to start his career with Premier League side Cardiff when his plane disappeared over the English Channel. The wreckage was found last Sunday and a body recovered was confirmed as Sala's on Thursday.
Nantes fans will pay their tributes to Sala in Sunday's home game against Nimes, where players will swap their traditional yellow home jerseys for black ones with Sala's name on.
FRISCO, Texas — Fernando Clavijo, a surprise starter for the 1994 U.S. World Cup team who went on to a long coaching and management career in Major League Soccer, has died. He was 63.
"Fernando was an important leader with three MLS clubs, and he played a key role in the league's player development strategy," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement Saturday. "More importantly, he was a joy to everyone who knew him and inspired countless young players."
An emerging player in the final years of the North American Soccer League, Clavijo was part of the generation hampered by the lack of the top-level American league between NASL's demise after the 1984 season and MLS's launch in 1996.
Born in Uruguay, Clavijo began a 22-year professional playing career at age 16 Atenas of San Carlos, and six years later moved to the U.S. to sign with the New York Apollo of the American Soccer League in 1979. He played for NASL's Golden Bay Earthquakes in 1983 and '84, and he also played indoor soccer for the New York Arrows (1981-83), San Diego Sockers (1984-88), Los Angeles Lazers (1988-89) and St. Louis Storm (1989-92).
He became a U.S. citizen in 1987, and debuted for the U.S. team in a November 1990 exhibition against the Soviet Union in Port-of-Spain Trinidad.
Clavijo had not started in six games when coach Bora Milutinovic inserted him in place of Cle Kooiman on the backline alongside Marcelo Balboa, Alexi Lalas and Paul Caligiuri for the Americans' second match of the 1994 World Cup against Colombia, among the tournament favorites. Clavijo was not told he would be starting until just before the team left its hotel. The Americans won 2-1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, putting themselves in position to advance to the knockout phase.
"It's one of the greatest feelings of my life," he said after the match. "I knew this kind of game suits me better. They have a lot of speed up front."
At the time, Clavijo's birthdate was listed as Jan. 23, 1957 — it is now listed as Jan. 23, 1956 — and he was the third-oldest player to appear in the tournament behind Cameroon forward Roger Milla (42) and Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph-Antione Bell.
Despite his age, Clavijo was the third- or fourth-fastest player on the American team. He made a key play in the sixth minute when Anthony de Avila's shot bounced off American Mike Sorber, hit a post and bounced back into the penalty area. With goalkeeper Tony Meola unable to recover, de Avila's shot toward the empty net, but the ball hit Sorber again and bounced in front of the open goal, where Clavijo cleared the ball.
"Somebody had to," Clavijo said.
His final U.S. match was the 1-0 loss to Brazil in the round of 16, when he was sent off in the 86th minute after getting his second yellow card.
Clavijo started his coaching career as a player-coach with the St. Louis Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1991. After his playing days were done, he coached the Seattle SeaDogs of the Continental Indoor Soccer League (1995-97), the Florida ThunderCats of the National Professional Soccer League (1998-99). He served as Milutinovic's assistant with Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup and MLS's New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1999, then was head coach of MLS's New England Revolution from 2000-02.
He led Haiti's national team from 2003-05, the coached MLS's Colorado Rapids from 2005-08 before a final coaching stint with Miami FC of the second-tier NASL in 2009. During his tenure in Dallas' front office, the team finished with MLS's best regular season record in 2016, when it won the U.S. Open Cup.
"Fernando was a soccer pioneer," FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said. "His knowledge and passion for the sport were unparalleled."
Clavijo is survived by wife Martha, sons Nico and Jonathan, daughter-in-law Thanne and grandchildren Lucas and Sofia.


Best offers for home gym equipments on Rediff Shopping, India's leading online shopping portal. Buy home gym equipments online at best price in India with facility of Free Shipping and Cash on Delivery (COD) available. home gym equipments online shopping deals with huge discounts and combo offers. Gift home gym equipments online from Rediff Shopping. Upto 9 offers for home gym equipments across various categories like Gym Equipment, and many more are available.


Texas BBQ Foods, the brand behind New Zealand’s most authentic Texas-inspired smoked beef brisket, pork belly, cheeses and butter can now be found in the chilled section at supermarkets nationwide.
- Texas BBQ Foods Smoked Pork Belly. RRP $11.99 for a 200g pack.
- Texas BBQ Foods Smoked Beef Brisket. RRP $11.99 for a 200g pack.
- Texas BBQ Foods Smoked Cheese. RRP $8.95 for a 155g pack.
- Texas BBQ Foods Smoked Butter. RRP $6.75 for a 95g pack.
Ready to eat hot or cold, the specially designed packs mean the slow-cooked meats can be heated in seconds, tasting as good as it does straight from the smoker.
Meat cuts are hand seasoned with a traditional Texas-style dry rub. They are then slow smoked and cooked with mesquite (a wood imported from North America) for 20+ hours to create a full, genuine flavour. Even the cheese and butter from Texas BBQ Foods is smoked for three hours to get a true smoke flavour with a sweet finish.
"I spent a lot of time in Houston in my previous career as an engineer," explains Ash. "I started going to the local barbecue joints and couldn’t get enough of the mesquite-smoked, slow cooked meat. It was a revelation.
"When I returned to New Zealand, I set about trying to recreate this mouth-wateringly tasty, smoky meat that was tender enough to cut with a fork. I spent hours researching and experimenting with traditional Texan spice rubs and cooking methods. It definitely started out as a hobby that ran amok!"
Ash launched Texas BBQ Foods in 2017 with co-founder, Jerynn Peters when they realised how popular the slow-cooked, smoked foods were proving with friends and family.
The versatility, convenience and big smoky flavours are appealing to a loyal and quickly growing fanbase. Customers use the meat, butter and cheese in everything from wraps, sliders, platters, burgers and tacos, hot meat sandwiches, pizzas, salads, and even desserts.
Texas BBQ Foods has already racked up a number of accolades and awards. This includes winning the chilled food section of NZ Artisan Awards 2018 for the Texas BBQ Foods Smoked Pork Belly and Beef Brisket, and placing as a finalist for the Smoked Butter.
For more information on Texas BBQ Foods, the people and the products visit texasbbqfoods.com or follow the brand on Facebook.


Originally Published: December 3, 2018 6:59 p.m.
It is with great sadness that the family of Charles “Chuck” Patrick Henehan announces his passing. Chuck was born to Velma Benjamin Henehan (deceased) and Charles Henehan on May 22, 1957, in Rochester, New York.
He passed quietly Nov. 26, 2018, 4:15 p.m., after a short, hard battle with cancer.
Chuck is survived by his father, Charles; brother, David (Stacie); and sisters, Joanne (George) Murray, Nancy (Steve) Zimmerman and Bridget Nelson. Many extended family members and friends also mourn the loss of the Army vet who was always smiling, had an awesome crazy sense of humor and was always ready to lend a helping hand.
ABC Funerals in charge of arrangements. The date and time of memorial service is not yet known.


Most everyone who's been actively following Lone Ranger's progress has surely tired of hearing about the film's budget woes in the aftermath of Disney's highly-publicized efforts to cut down costs last year. Yet, the new blockbuster from Pirates of the Caribbean trifecta - namely, star Johnny Depp, director Gore Verbinski, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer - is having money problems yet again.
Insiders (reliable ones, mind you) are reporting that Depp's unorthodox western has fallen days - possibly even weeks - behind schedule. More importantly, the budget is said to have risen above a "lowered" $215 million - and ballooned back up to the $250 million level that prompted Disney to halt the project's development in the first place.
With respect to principal photography being behind schedule: that's actually less of a concern, seeing how Disney recently pushed Lone Ranger's release date back from May 2013 to the fourth of July weekend slot previously occupied by Robopocalypse. Right now, newly-appointed Disney studio head Alan Horn is thought to be focused on trimming the film's budget (via script rewrites of certain expensive action scenes). Obviously, the Mouse House is all the more concerned about expenditures, after having to take an estimated $200 million loss on John Carter - which "helped" to force out Horn's predecessor, Rich Ross.
Obviously, the primary concern for moviegoers is whether or not Lone Ranger will ultimately prove to be worth all the behind-the-scenes financial drama. Depp comes off as sincere when expressing his desire to create a portrait of Tonto that's genuinely respectful of American Indian culture and history (in his own peculiar Depp way, of course). Moreover, Verbinski's previously had success revitalizing tired cinematic sub-genres with his own inventive (weird?) approach to storytelling, as was very much the case with last year's Oscar-winning animated western, Rango.
Buzz from those who've seen early footage from Lone Ranger is that Verbinski could "make the [western] genre popular internationally," much like his Pirates movies did for the swashbuckler genre (naturally, take all that with a grain of salt). That may not abate the concerns of fans who worry that the Ranger (Armie Hammer) could end up being a semi-comical footnote in his own movie, but encouraging word-of-mouth should be all the more welcome for Depp fans - especially given the mediocre reception for his most recent film, Dark Shadows.
Lone Ranger remains set to gallop into theaters around the U.S. on July 3rd, 2013.


Complete with overnight lines and crazed crowds.
Boxing Day takes place in Great Britain the day after Christmas. A lot of people only care about it because of the sales it brings.
Shoppers "queued" outside London's famous Selfridges department store overnight, where items will be sold for up to 75% off the usual price. They've still got nothing on American Black Friday shoppers, who have been known to camp out for days in advance.
U.K. shoppers are expected to spend around £2.9 billion, or $4.7 billion, on Boxing Day sales this year.
Black Friday sales in the U.S. were around $59 billion.
Like in the U.S., people in the U.K. have been injured because of the day's massive crowds and confusion.
An 18-year-old boy was stabbed to death in front of Boxing Day shoppers in 2011; the conflict was attributed to gang violence, but Boxing Day chaos contributed as well. And this year, train drivers in Central London are striking because of a lack of "quality time" around the holidays, causing delays and traffic jams for shoppers.
Unlike Black Friday, however, Boxing Day comprises a bunch of other traditions in addition to bargain-hunting, like the Tenby Boxing Day Swim in Wales.
Really, wouldn't you rather dive headfirst into the freezing ocean than tear out some woman's hair for the chance to buy a half-off perfume?
And Australia's Boxing Day Races.
Wouldn't horses and fascinators make sale-fueled shopping madness 10 million times better?


BOSTON — State Rep. Hannah E. Kane, R-Shrewsbury, has hired Westboro resident and recent college graduate Jessica Beliveau as her new legislative aide for the 190th General Session at the State House.
Prior to graduating from Westboro High School in 2012, Ms. Beliveau served as student representative to the Westboro School Committee, where she was actively involved in matters pertaining to Westboro public schools and public education in the commonwealth.
Following her junior year at Boston College, Ms. Beliveau served as an intern for Gov. Charlie Baker. She worked closely with the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Homelessness. During her internship, Ms. Beliveau researched legislation, attended several hearings surrounding numerous social policy issues, and traveled throughout the state to liaise with advocacy groups, state and local officials, and constituents on state matters and procedures.
As a political science major, Ms. Beliveau has always been active politically and interested in pursuing a career in public service and government. She enjoys contributing to the state community and is a firm believer in engaged citizenship.
“I could not be more honored and eager to be working for Rep. Kane,” Ms. Beliveau said. “As a young woman just beginning to embark on my professional career, I look forward to working for such an impressive, active, and dedicated state legislator. I am confident that my background will allow me to meaningfully contribute to Representative Kane’s efforts, and look forward to speaking with constituents in the Eleventh Worcester district.


Since 2006, Cotton Electric has been providing Electrical Work from Harvey. Cotton Electric has estimated annual revenues of $560,000.00 and also employs an estimated 8 employees.
Cotton Electric can be found at Arlington Ave 2221. The following is offered: Electricians. The entry is present with us since Sep 7, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 12, 2013. In Harvey there are 6 other Electricians. An overview can be found here.


THE chief economist and global strategist for Deutsche Bank Securities, Edward Yardeni, is a favorite Wall Street figure for technology skeptics these days.
LEAD: NUMEROUS articles and books have appeared recently that claim that America is in decline. Americans are living beyond their means and on borrowed time. Our prosperity is an illusion, say the pessimists - a day of reckoning is coming.
The Fed stopped raising short-term rates last summer and is expected to hold firm again on Wednesday.
Though a steadfast market bull, a strategist worries about investors’ nonchalant attitude toward ever-rising stocks.
WHEN the numbers stop making sense, maybe it is time to stop believing them.
The monthly Labor Department jobs report is often wide of the mark, requiring substantial revisions weeks later and leaving investors unsure of how to interpret the results.
Executives and board members are usually in their stock for the long run, but buybacks have a different objective.
WALL STREET expects the economy to have added about 200,000 jobs in April, a not-too-strong, not-too-weak number that would be near the middle of the range for the last several months.
Financial markets were rocked on Tuesday after Greece’s credit rating was slashed to junk status.
What if the Economy Doesn’t Land?
As investors place bets on whether the economy will experience a hard or soft landing, one Wall Street veteran suggests a third possible outcome — no landing at all.


Lyft has officially entered the public transit space with the launch of Nearby Transit, a feature currently available just in Santa Monica, Calif. This comes just a couple of days after Lyft deployed electric scooters in the city.
Today, Lyft customers in Santa Monica will see the Nearby Transit option, which includes route information and schedules for the Big Blue Bus, LA Metro and Metrolink. The feature is in partnership with Trafi, a transit information platform.
“Building on the launch of Lyft Scooters in Santa Monica this week, it’s another step toward providing effective, equitable, and sustainable transportation to our communities, and towards creating a more seamless and connected transportation network,” the company posted on its blog.
Lyft has also brought on Lilly Shoup, formerly of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting, to serve as senior director of transportation policy. In that role, Shoup will oversee Lyft’s multi-modal transportation efforts as they pertain to equity, land use, autonomous vehicles and more.
Uber announced its public transit ambitions back in April, but has yet to integrate those offerings into the app. Whenever Uber integrates public transit, the company will take it a step further than Lyft by enabling people to purchase tickets, not just check routes.


This property has great potential . It is a residential home at present. Lots of floor space in house as well as substantial amount of acreage to be in the heart of town. Easy to show. Make appointment today. 3 year old roof and exterior paint.


Recently my house was struck by lightning and one of my TiVo boxes got zapped (among other things). I had decided to try replacing it with a generic DVR from Time Warner Cable.
Recently my house was struck by lightning and one of my TiVo boxes got zapped (among other things). I had decided to try replacing it with a generic DVR from Time Warner Cable. Boy, was that a mistake.
I wanted to like the Time Warner DVR, I really did. The main reason was price. The Time Warner DVR box (actually a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8340HDC) model was free, and the service cost $7.95/month. Also I was excited at the possibility of finally getting high definition content on my Sony HDTV. I asked some friends who used it and they seemed happy with it.
I can sum up my experiences with the Time Warner DVR in one word: Argh!
The first problem was the remote they gave us. What a disaster that thing is. So many tiny buttons - six pairs of buttons that go up and down alone. And take the power buttons at the top - one for the TV and one for all systems (TV, DVR, Stereo, whatever you have programmed in). Why on earth does a DVR even need a power button? Turning it off doesn't really do anything - it keeps recording no matter what. Only the output signal is cut.
Many times I'd get the power out of sync - the DVR would be on and the TV would be off. I'd press the Power button. Now the DVR would be off and the TV would be on. Oh yeah, I have to press the OTHER power button. Nothing happens. Right, I forgot to select the device, so I press the TV button and then the second power button. Now the TV is off. Press the left power button again. Finally they're both on. Turning the TV on shouldn't be so hard.
There's a big green button in the middle of the remote. That must be the Play button, right? No, it's the button that gives you a list of recordings you have saved. And by the way, you can sort that list by date or title but you can't group them. If you have 25 episodes of Law & Order, you'll have to scroll past all of those to see if you have a new Stargate Atlantis.
Speaking of recordings, setting up the DVR to get all episodes of a series is primitive at best. With the TiVo I could re-arrange the priorities so that, say, if an episode of House and yet another Pokémon rerun were on at the same time, I could move the House program above the others in the Season Pass screen so it would always prefer to record that. But with the SA DVR, whatever you programmed in last takes priority. The only way to move things around is to remember the order you put them in, and re-enter the ones that are most important.
Even basic operation of the Scientific Atlanta was poor. Say you're watching a live show and you press the Pause button. The screen goes black for a couple seconds. Huh? Watching a recorded show is an exercise in frustration. Say you're fast forwarding over a commercial. When the show starts again you press Play. Nothing happens. Press Play again. Now it's stopped. No, actually it's playing in slow motion. What's up with that? How do I get it going again? Try pressing Play again. Now it's playing. I think.
It reminds me of a coffee machine I use at work. You have to be careful with this machine. You put your cup in it, press a button, and coffee comes out. Let go of the button and the coffee stops. Simple, right? Except it doesn't stop when you let go. It keeps pouring for several more seconds. So every morning it's the same thing - trying to guess when to let go of the button when the cup is about three quarters full so that I won't end up with coffee spilling on the floor when the cup runs over. The Scientific Atlanta DVR works the same way. I have to press the Play or Pause button a little before I actually want it to play or pause. Eventually it will recognize my entry. Well, usually. Sometimes the IR beam is blocked or I wasn't quite pointing the remote the right way, so I have to wait a bit to see if it's going to work, and if it doesn't work, try again.
After two weeks of this I decided enough was enough. The family all agreed. We wanted TiVo!
There were two TiVo options I considered. Option One was to repair my old TiVo. It was out of warranty but had a lifetime subscription to the TiVo service. For $150 I could return my dead box to the company and get a factory refurbished model. Since it would count as a repair, a TiVo representative told me that they would transfer the lifetime subscription to the replacement box. The new DVR would actually be nicer than the one it replaced: it has 2 tuners and stores up to 80 hours of recordings. However I would not get high definition programs and I would not get digital channels. My youngest son really wants Boomerang, which is only available with the digital package.
Option Two was to buy a TiVo HD and rent a CableCard from Time Warner. This would cost $250 for the box, and $2.50/month for the CableCard. The card is the decryption key that unscrambles the signal for the digital and premium channels. It plug into the front of the TiVo, is activated by the cable company, and then you can get anything on the TiVo that the cable company's box can get except video on demand and 2-way communication. That was no great loss for me since VoD never worked for me on Time Warner's DVR anyway.
The only down side to option two would be that the regular TiVo HD only stored 20 hours of high-definition video (180 hours of standard definition). I could add an external eSATA disk drive such as the WD My DVR Expander, but those are limited to 500GB, for up to an additional 65 hours of HD (600 hours of SD), and would set me back another $150.
I actually ordered the TiVo HD from Amazon, and was waiting on that to be shipped when TiVo announced a new model: the TiVo HD XL. This box has a 1TB disk drive, compared to 160GB in Time Warner's Scientific Atlanta box so it will record up to 150 hours of high-definition (1,360 hours of standard definition)! So I did what any gadget freak would do: I canceled my order and ordered the new model instead. It arrived a few days later.
This was the most expensive option, but the most capable. I got the new TiVo HD XL for $599, then I had to get the TiVo brand wireless adapter for $70, and I had to get the cable company to come out and install a CableCard ($2.50 / month + $45 install), and I have to pay TiVo $9.95 / month for the subscription service.
But finally, I have my TiVo back!


Burgess Hill pupils celebrating the suffragettes as part of their work to mark Parliament Week.
Burgess Hill Girls pupils have been spreading the word about the importance of political engagement in winning women’s suffrage.
Sporting a suffragist’s sash, head girl Cara Eckstein and deputy head girls Sophie Rowson and Bridget Calthrop walked the school corridors to encourage the girls to consider the importance of the 1918 act which gave women the right to vote, and the 1928 act that equalised that right with men’s rights.
Last week’s UK Parliament Week is an annual festival which engages people from across the UK with Parliament, explores what it means to them and empowers them to get involved.
Cara said: “It is important for any young women to fully appreciate the sacrifices made for us by those who campaigned for women’s suffrage.
Head of sixth form at Burgess Hill Girls, Bill O’Brien-Blake, said: “A thorough understanding of how the right to vote was fought for and won can ensure that people ensure they use it when possible and to its fullest effect.
The commemoration comes in the wake of the renaming of the school’s houses (which used to bear men’s names) to commemorate four outstanding women – Emily Pankhurst, Jane Austen, Emma Watson and Serena Williams.
The names were chosen after a ballot of pupils.
The school is also commemorating the role of women in the First World War through the acquisition from the Royal British Legion of two life-sized suffragette silhouettes. One will be in front of the Rose Garden, the central passing point in the senior school while the other will go at the entrance to the junior school.


Eating out in London is tough. Exciting, but tough. A complex procedure that involves co-ordinating diaries with friends, working out what everyone can afford and picking somewhere with the lowest risk of queues. Not to mention keeping up with the latest trends.
Yet, London is not the be-all and end-all of British gastronomy. Just an hour-and-a-half’s train ride away, a quiet gastronomic explosion is taking place in Bristol where 31 new eateries opened in 2016 and 64 are expected to open this year.
On a packed Saturday night in No Man’s Grace, a restaurant typical of Bristol’s foodie growth spurt, light from the exposed bulbs is low and the Beach Boys jingle on the stereo. The vibe is friendly neighbourhood, the food is exquisite.
Even Casamia, Bristol’s most touted Michelin-starred restaurant, is resolutely on the casual side of smart. Starched white tablecloths and set places have been ditched in favour of plain wooden tabletops, cutlery in hewn wooden holders and customers in open neck shirts. The restaurant’s self-taught chef patron Peter Sanchez-Iglesias has a list pinned in the kitchen titled ‘Sum up of Casamia’. At the top is written, ‘No dress code’. A little further down, ‘No rule cooking’.
The ‘chilled’ attitude translates to the menus, too. However refined the food at Casamia, it is grounded by an earthy dedication to the seasonal and local. A fillet of brown trout, deconstructed and smartly seared with charcoal, comes from a fish farm with a West Country postcode and is served in earthenware bowls. A transformative sabayon is infused with sparkling wine from a vineyard not 50 minutes from the restaurant’s door. The after dinner fudge is mushroom flavoured.
Chefs who have made the move from London are no different. At Bulrush – opened in 2015 by George Livesey, previously of Roux, L’Enclume and St John – the remarkably affordable tasting menu (£48) contains ingredients including mutton and cheddar. At Birch, a tiny 24-cover eatery started the same year by Sam Leach, again a graduate of St John, an ever-changing menu depends on what’s found in the restaurant’s allotment.
Even more Bristolian is Sky Kong Kong, an eccentric front room of a place, tucked behind the city’s bus station. There, chef Wizzy (who earned her stripes at Nobu and Hakkasan) serves up two-course feasts made from whatever she can get at the market that day, all for £12.50.
Bigger names are catching on too. Ottolenghi staged a pop-up in Bristol in April while among 2016’s openings were the first outposts of The Ivy and Polpo outside London.
Asked which city he would prefer to eat in these days Peter Sanchez-Iglesias doesn’t miss a beat: ‘Bristol all day long,’ he says. Go west now and you might just beat the queues.


Cold weather and a bright moon didn't stop skywatchers around the country from capturing stunning shots of the annual Quadrantid meteor shower this week.
Astrophotographer Victor Rogus, for example, snapped a dramatic image from Jadwin, Mo., a few hours before dawn today (Jan. 3) during the Quadrantids' peak. The streaking meteor seen in the photo appears in Ursa Minor, a constellation in the northern sky.
Victor Rogus captured this image of the Quadrantid Meteor shower in the constellation Ursa Minor at 2:39 am on Jan. 3, 2013 from Jadwin, Missouri. To take the photo, Rogus used a Carl Zeiss 35mm lens at f 2, and an ISO setting of 640, on a Cannon 60Da camera, astrophotography model.
"Battling the cold and the gibbous moon was no easy task, but I managed to catch this meteor trail in a 12-second exposure with a Cannon 60Da astrophotography camera," Rogus told SPACE.com via email.
Veteran meteor observer John Chumack of Dayton, Ohio, set up a network of cameras to record the Quadrantid meteor shower's peak. The result was an eye-popping video of Quadrantid meteors as they streaked overhead, as well as toward the north, west and east.
"Last night the Quadrantid meteors started slamming into the Earth's atmosphere" Chumack said in an email. "I captured 52 Quadrantid meteors ... but it's not over yet. Keep watching as sometime you can see a few meteors for several days after the shower peak, too!"
Skywatcher Scott Tully also braved the cold early this morning to come up with a nice Quadrantid shot.
"I was out photographing the meteors this morning in the Northwest Hills of Connecticut," Tully wrote SPACE.com. "The meteor shower was beautiful against the moonlit sky, but with some clouds and the bright moonlight I was only able to spot a few bright streaks up until around 5:00 a.m. It was between the hours of 5 and 6 when the numbers started to pick up, and I caught this shot just before 6:00 a.m. EST."
On the outskirts of Tucson, Ariz., Sean Parker worked hard this morning to get a spectacular photo of Quadrantids streaking through the sky above a lot full of retired aircraft.
"The boneyard is run by the [Davis-Monthan] Air Force base which requires clearance, and is surrounded by 10-foot barbed wire fences," Parker wrote on his blog. "But fortunately I have a Jeep and a tall tripod — so I drove around numerous spots looking for a place I could pull my Jeep close to the fence and take pictures from on top. And I found one."
The Quadrantid meteor shower is a bright display seen mainly in the Northern Hemisphere around the beginning of the new year. The meteors appear to originate where the constellations Hercules, Boötes, and Draco meet in the sky.
The Quadrantids result when Earth plows through streams of debris shed by the asteroid 2003 EH1, which may actually be a chunk of a long-dead comet. Though the shower peaked overnight last night, it's still going on. NASA is providing a live webcast of the display through Friday (Jan. 4), which you can watch here on SPACE.com.
Editor's note: If you have an amazing photo of the Quadrantid meteor shower or any other night sky view that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send images, comments (including name and location) to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.


The African Union has affirmed its intention to keep its peacekeeping mission in Somalia as Ethiopian troops withdraw and to boost its manpower in the face of precarious security conditions.
The United Nations is also signaling a renewed willingness to support efforts to bring stability to Somalia - a nation virtually ungovernable for nearly two decades.
A news release issued on Tuesday at AU headquarters reiterated the continental body's intention to back Somalia's Transitional Federal Government as it chooses a new leader following last week's resignation of President Abdullahi Yusuf.
Somali and Western diplomatic sources said a number of candidates are jockeying for the post, as members of parliament try to name a successor within 30 days, as specified in the transitional charter.
The AU statement acknowledged deteriorating security in the Horn of Africa nation, with fresh fighting leading to the death of dozens of people and a massive displacement of civilians.
But AU Peace and Security Council spokesman El-Ghassim Wane said there is no plan to withdraw the 3,500 strong peacekeeping force, at least for the next few months.
"The task ahead of us is not to pull out the troops, but rather how to strengthen the mission on the ground, and efforts are being made to that end. As far as the safety of mission is concerned, it seems in the context like the one prevailing currently Mogadishu and rest of Somalia - the risks are high. So we know that and are aware of the risks. But we are also fully aware of the responsibilities toward the people," he said.
The United Nations is signaling that it might boost its presence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. U.N. envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said Tuesday that the world body should create a Baghdad-style "Green Zone" security area so it can base aid workers there. That suggestion followed word that gunmen had killed a Somali aid worker employed by the U.N. World Food Program.
AU spokesman El-Ghassim Wane said the environment in which the African Union Mission in Somalia is operating has changed significantly with the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces. He said the job would be difficult even if the mission were brought up to its authorized strength of 8,000 troops. But he emphasized that the AU force is strictly defensive.
"The mission is mandated to protect itself, to use the right self defense - to protect installations and equipment. Clearly, the mission is not in Somalia to fight, but rather to support these efforts. But if it comes under attack, definitely it will protect itself. But our primary aim and mandate is to support the Somali people. The mission is to support the Somali people," said Wane.
In Tuesday's AU statement, Commission Chairman Jean Ping thanked the United States, Britain, the European Union, NATO and the United Nations for their support. He also thanked Uganda and Burundi - the two countries contributing troops to the AU mission - for what he called their "unwavering support" to the search for peace in Somalia.
At the same time, Ping again chided the United Nations Security Council for its reluctance to get involved in Somalia, stating that it has primary responsibility for peace and security worldwide.


I picked UR because of the academic freedom. I knew I liked math and science but I wasn't a hundred percent certain that I would like engineering. With the UR curriculum, I knew that I could easily change to another major or take a random unrelated class and not affect when I graduated.
I picked my major randomly. As a freshman, I was assigned a BME advisor and I took BME 101, which I really enjoyed. After taking an optics course in the fall semester of sophomore year, I decided to declare my major as biomedical engineering with a concentration in medical optics.
I was involved in a variety of different groups including the Society of Women Engineers, varsity track and field team, Class Council, Tiernan Project, St. Sebastian Society and Catholic Newman Community. Being involved helped me to know my classmates better, become involved with the community, and gain leadership, time management, and networking skills.
In the fall after graduating from UR, I started graduate school. I decided I wanted to earn a PhD after doing research while at UR. I received help on the graduate school application process from my BME advisor and advisors from the Kearns Center. My research interest in vision sparked from my education in BME and optics at UR.
I am an alumni interviewer for the UR Involved program and I interview prospective students around the world and share my UR experiences. I keep updated on everything happening at UR through social media and I still read the Campus Times.
What advice would you give to current Hajim students?
Get involved in clubs, academic groups, sports or intramurals, and even a research lab as early as possible. Your years at UR will probably be the best years of your life. Enjoy them, have fun, build your network, take advantage of all the opportunities you can find, and grow academically. Also, find a mentor to help you achieve your goals.


's fate has now been determined by a judge.
Following the incident, which saw Govan allegedly block Barnes and their sons with her car, the NBA star got a restraining order against the former Basketball Wives cast member. Furthermore, she was forced to stay at least 100 yards away from him and their boys.
According to theJasmineBRAND.com, during a recent court hearing, Govan denied that she drove recklessly to block Barnes from picking up their sons from school. As the L.A. County D.A. was not able to find sufficient evidence to backup the athlete's claims, the charges filed against Govan were dropped.
On a more positive note, after several months of duking it out in court, the exes are reportedly close to making a final decision in regards to the custody of their twin boys.


The man who is believed to have refused to leave Lohan's Venice Beach house has been taken into police custody.
Lindsay Lohan's unwelcome visitor may now be behind bars.
Over the weekend, the troubled actress called police to report that a man had knocked on the door of her Venice Beach, California home and then refused to leave when asked to do so by Lohan.
The LAPD has reported that they arrested 64-year-old Lonnie Short for trespassing outside a home in Venice Beach, but according to their policy could not confirm that the house was Lohan's.
Short is being held on $1,000 bail. Neither Lohan or her representatives have commented on the arrest.


Has Bill Donohue of the Catholic League in New York no shame?
He says not to believe the Commission of Investigation - don’t believe the Irish government, don’t even believe the Catholic Bishops, who have just reacted with “shock” and “shame” at the discovery of “significant human remains” at the former Mother and Baby Home at Tuam, County Galway.
Only Bill Donohue of the Catholic League in New York knows the truth. He says it is all 'fake news,' nothing to see, no one to be held to account over 800 dead children in a Mother and Baby home in Tuam, County Galway.
Just a section of the death records believed to be those of the 796 babies in the mass grave at Tuam.
He besmirches the memory of helpless young children, some literally emaciated and starved to death, in pursuit of his own grandiose and grotesque need for attention.
He’s the only one who knows the story of a “mass grave” in County Galway is pure hokum. “It was a lie in 2014 and it is a lie in 2017,” he writes.
He is contradicting his own Catholic bishops, who accept the horror of what happened at the home.
Bill Donohue of the Catholic League.
But caring for the life created by unwed Irish parents in most of the 20th century was manifestly not an urgent priority for many members of the religious orders entrusted with their care.
Donohue then blasted historian Catherine Corless, whom, he said, had claimed 800 babies were buried in a tank outside the former Mother and Baby home.
That’s wholly inaccurate, however, Corless made no such claim. Instead, she unearthed the death certificates for 798 infants and children at the Galway’s records office and simply asked where they had been buried, since there was no official or religious monument to their life and death of any kind in the town?
So Donohue’s argument really comes down to semantics. Is a “mass grave,” which Corless never spoke of, proven or not proven by the discovery of “significant quantities of human remains” at the former Mother and Baby Home site? He thinks not. He’s alone in that view.
Instead of asking why the police and the local authorities – including the council and church – took no action at all on learning of the discovery (Sweeney and Hopkins were allegedly found playing with human skulls) Donohue informs us that at most the two children found between 15 and 20 small skeletons.
15 to 20 small skeletons in an unmarked hole. Nothing to see there, eh Bill?
But, in fact, the Ryan and McAleese reports concern themselves with lay inmates and the two reports document that sexual abuse was “endemic” at these institutions, in particular at Magdalene Laundries, with the McAleese Report detailing widespread detention, forced labor and dehumanizing treatment.
Given the scale of the official findings, it is hard to imagine how Donohue’s “it’s all a lie” claims can do the Church any good at this point when the truth is already plain to most people with a two second Google search.
Children at the Bon Secour Mother and Child Home.
But attempting to hoodwink an entire nation after a state-appointed commission just made clear they have found “significant numbers of child remains” takes a level of chutzpah and shamelessness many never imagined he had in him.
Meanwhile, last week Marie Collins – herself a survivor of clerical abuse – resigned in protest from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at the Vatican.
Collins told the press her decision was based on what she called the “reluctance of some members of the Vatican Curia” to enact the reforms of the Commission, despite the fact they had been approved by Pope Francis.
Ireland must not follow Donohue’s unbelievable claims or the Vatican’s shortsighted example. Neither evidence any appetite for the truth.


Seven Arun gymnasts made the long trek to Farnborough for the Liberty Gymnastics Club invitational competition.
This was a three-piece apparatus competition with gymnasts competing on floor, vault and trampet work and medals were awarded for each piece of apparatus only.
Rebecca Williamson competed in the advanced girls’ section for those aged 14-15 and had an excellent competition, winning gold medals for both her superb vault and trampet work and a silver for her floor routine.
There were three Arun gymnasts competing in the bronze 13-17 group and Charlotte Williamson came out on top, winning one medal of each colour. She put in a lovely performance on floor for the gold medal then won a silver for her trampet work and a bronze on vault.
Emily Day won silver with her great vault work and bronze on floor while Jenna Partridge put in an excellent trampet series to win the gold medal.
Jordan Kitchen, Chantal Mawbey and Lily Smyth all competed in the silver 13-17 group. Jordan finished with a bronze medal on trampet and Chantal put in two wonderful performances on both floor and trampet that gave her a well-deserved gold medal for each piece.
Lily won medals on all three pieces with two silver medals coming from her strong vault and trampet performances and a bronze from her floor routine.
The final medal tally of 15 – six gold, five silver and four bronze – delighted coach Carolyn Millar, who is now looking forward to a bright 2015.


(CN) – Japan’s already-endangered orchid populations faces a new threat from a type of seed-eating fly, according to a new study.
There are thousands of varieties of the highly coveted and colorful orchids, some of the most diverse flowers on the planet.
In Japan, more than 70 percent of native orchids are endangered due to a number of factors like overharvesting and development.
While the endangered plants can be reproduced through cloning, scientists say reproduction through seeds is better for genetic diversity.
If the plants can’t reproduce with their seeds they face even bigger threats, scientists believe.
A new study by a team of Japanese researchers identified a type of fly that feeds on orchid seeds in five varieties of the flower. Their findings were published in the journal Ecology.
The fly, Japanagromyza tokunagai, lays its eggs inside the young fruit of blooming orchids. When they hatch, the flies make a hole in the fruit.
Because the orchid fruit grows to the same size as fruit without the flies, scientists may have underestimated the damage those flies have on seed production.
The team looked at five species of orchids they artificially pollinated, covering some with bags and leaving others uncovered.
They found that the fly’s damage to the orchids reduced seed production by more than 95 percent.
But further study is needed, they say.
“Going forward, we want to shed more light on the damage caused by J. tokunagai,” said Kenji Suetsugu from Kobe University Graduate School of Science.
The non-native species theory is part of the reason the team believes the damage caused by the flies has worsened over the years. If the fly is indeed non-native, it may not have natural predators.
Fragmentation of orchid populations could also be a factor, the scientists concluded.
Team members also included Shigeki Fukushima from the Chiba Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center and Masahiro Sueyoshi of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.
Collecting wild orchards has been banned since 1973 by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.


Yesterday, the triennial PISA results were announced, prompting a paroxysm of spastic pontificating. Hands were wrung, familiar talking points were rehashed, and PISA Overlord Andreas Schleicher once again took the results as his cue to lecture American educators and policymakers on the wonders of common standards and the perniciousness of school choice. (Not that Schleicher has ever seemed an especially strategic operator; I'm curious whether the cheerleading of this international bureaucrat will really help the cause of the Common Core.) Anyway, the funny thing is that all this gnashing of teeth is, quite literally, for nothing. There are at least seven reasons I don't give a fig about the PISA results. What are they?
One, international test score comparisons suffer from the same banal problems that bedevil simple NCLB-style comparisons. PISA results say nothing about the value schools are adding; they merely provide simple cross-sectional snapshots of achievement.
Two, Shanghai was tops in the rankings--which ought to prompt a whole lot of questions. Brookings's Tom Loveless, as usual, has been out there waving the red flags. Nearly two months ago, Loveless explained: "Shanghai's population of 23-24 million people makes it about 1.7 percent of China's estimated 1.35 billion people... About 84 percent of Shanghai high school graduates go to college, compared to 24 percent nationally... And Shanghai's parents invest heavily in their children's education outside of school... At the high school level, the total expenses for tutoring and weekend activities in Shanghai exceed what the average Chinese worker makes in a year. Further, Shanghai does not allow the children of migrants to attend its high schools." Comparing U.S. performance to that of Shanghai isn't apples and oranges; it's applesauce and Agent Orange. By the way, it's worth perusing Loveless's broader critique of international comparisons in his 2012 Brown Center report.
Three, one of the amusing touches of schadenfreude this time around was Finland's ratings plunge--from its perennial first-place perch to 12th in math, fifth in science, and sixth in reading. Now, don't get me wrong. I dig Finland. But I've been exhausted by the fad-chasers who've been peddling the line that Finland had cracked the code of educational excellence. Truth is, I never believed that or that Finland's successes could be readily imitated elsewhere, and I'm skeptical that its schools fell apart between 2009 and 2012. All of which means, again, I just don't find these results that useful.
Four, there are questions about the stability and validity of results. Heck, let's set aside questions of test administration or how much confidence we have that tests are being administered even-handedly and with fidelity in dozens of different nations. The OECD has already acknowledged that "large variation in single (country) ranking positions is likely" in the PISA results. Statistician Svend Kreiner, at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said that an inappropriate model is used to calculate the PISA rankings. He has argued that country scores fluctuate significantly depending on which test questions are used in the analysis. In the 2006 reading rankings, for instance, he writes, depending on how scores were compiled, Canada could have been finished anywhere from second to 25th and Japan anywhere from eighth to 40th.
Five, the whole things provides a depressing excuse for the usual suspects use PISA as an excuse to shill their usual wares. Common Core boosters cheered for that. Dennis van Roekel said it's all about poverty. Arne Duncan touted the need to embrace Obama administration reforms. Yawn.
Six, we know these folks are doing nothing more than rehashing talking points because there's no earthly way to tell what explains the performance of one nation or another. The problem is what we call an "overspecified" model. The PISA universe only includes 65 "economies" (nations, states, cities, and such). Meanwhile, there are tens of thousands ways in which these places vary. They have different lifestyles, cultures, economies, political regimes, religious traditions, health care systems, diets, norms, school calendars, school facilities, educational resources, teaching populations, and so forth. Trying to imagine that one can tell which one or two variables are responsible for how well fifteen-year-olds read or do math reflects a breathtaking hubris.
Seven, using PISA results to judge school quality poses the exact same problem as using NCLB-style tests to conclude that schools in a bucolic, leafy suburb are "better" than those in a chaotic city rife with broken families. There's a lot of stuff going on, and only the foolhardy would insist that any differences are necessarily due to educational strategies rather than non-school factors.
You can keep the PISA scores. I find the whole thing a triennial exercise in kabuki theater. I suppose there's no great harm done, but that seems an awfully low bar given all the hullabaloo.


In winter we recognize nature’s power over us and our need for sustenance against it — a warm sweater, a blazing fire, a hot drink — whether we’re in icy Minnesota or balmy Miami.
▪ Mulled red wine: sturdy reds heated with honey, orange peel and such “mulling spices” as cinnamon, orange, cloves, star anise, cardamom.
▪ Mulled white wine: aromatic whites warmed with Poire William, the pear brandy, and those spices.
▪ Hot spiced wine: wine of either hue heated with Kirsch, the cherry brandy, and spice. Or simmered with sugar, cider and grape brandy. Or scotch and ginger.
In Germany there’s gluwein; in Romania, vin fiert; in Russia, Glintwein — all pretty much the same.
What, then, are the proper wines for such loving libations, you ask between chattering teeth. They can be such potent reds as cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, syrah or malbec. Or such scented whites as riesling, gewurztraminer, chenin blanc. Roses? Why not? Whatever warms your wattles. Bubbly? No point; the bubbles would bubble away.
The wines needn’t be expensive; their subtler qualities will be buried under the barrage of ingredients and boiled away by the heat.
They can be heated gently in a pan over a low flame, never boiled to lose their alcohol. Serve them in mugs, not fancy champagne flutes. Leave in a peel of orange, a stick of cinnamon. Be careful not to swallow such wayward objects as cloves or star anise.
Now cuddle up with a friend, and sip a cup of warm kindness. Enjoy the winter.
▪ 2015 Cigar Box Old Vine Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina (100 percent malbec): soft and rich and hearty, with aromas and flavors of black cherries and chocolate; $20.
▪ 2015 Urban Riesling, Mosel, Germany (100 percent riesling): off-dry and crisp, with floral aromas and flavors of white peaches and minerals; $15.
▪ 2015 La Crema Pinot Gris, Monterey, Calif. (100 percent pinot gris): aromas of camellias, flavors of golden apples and citrus, crisp; $20.
▪ 2015 Concha y Toro “Casillero del Diablo Reserva” Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Valley, Chile (91 percent cabernet sauvignon, 3 percent syrah, 2 percent malbec, 2 percent cabernet franc, 1 percent petit verdot, 1 percent petite sirah): hint of oak, aromas and flavors of black plums and coffee, mellow and rich; $11.
▪ 2014 The Cleaver Red Blend, California (74 percent zinfandel, 21 percent petite sirah, 5 percent syrah): aromas and flavors of black raspberries and espresso, full-bodied and rich; $20.
▪ 2015 Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc, Wilson Ranch, Clarksburg, Calif.: intense floral aromas, flavors of peaches and tropical fruit, smooth texture; $13.
▪ Montes “Cherub” Rose of Syrah, Colchagua Valley, Chile (83 percent syrah, 17 percent grenache): aromas of red flowers, flavors of tart cherries and red plums, full-bodied and crisp; $16.
▪ 2015 Gundlach Bundschu Estate Gewurztraminer, Sonoma Coast, Calif. (100 percent gewurztraminer): aromatic, crisp and dry, with perfumed aroma and flavors of ripe apples and citrus; $22.
▪ 2014 Dark Horse Chardonnay, California (87 percent chardonnay, 5 percent viognier, 3 percent gewurztraminer, 5 percent other grapes): toasty oak aroma, exotic flavors of peaches and pears, smooth finish; $10.


Salesforce unveiled plans for a new, 61-story Salesforce Tower at 415 Mission Street in San Francisco to expand its worldwide headquarters, and as part of that it’s filed an 8-K form with the SEC with the details of how much it will be investing to do so.
The CRM giant will pay $560 million over a period of 15 years starting 2018 to lease space, with an additional $130 million on top of that for for leasehold improvements, amounting to a total of outlay of $690 million.
Salesforce’s move is also an interesting development considering the ongoing debates about tech workers who live in San Francisco and are accused of putting a strain on the residential market, some of whom do not work in the city itself — resulting in a string of protests around the busses that they use for their commutes. One suggested solution has been to ramp up high-density housing (read: skyscrapers, not unlike the Salesforce Tower), which has its own drawbacks.
Salesforce says it will be taking over half of the 1.4 million square feet available in the building, which being developed by Boston Properties and Hines. Salesforce Tower is being built above the new Transbay Transit Center and will be adjacent to salesforce.com’s current offices at 50 Fremont St. and 350 Mission St. in San Francisco.
The expansion will mean that Salesforce’s SF campus will collectively span some 2 million square feet by 2017.
As a point of comparison, Apple is building a new campus and HQ in Cupertino that will be 2.8 million square feet at an reported cost of $5 billion.
Salesforce says that it is on a hiring spree right now, with plans to hire 1,000+ people in the Bay Area this year, “expanding its footprint as San Francisco’s largest tech employer.” Today, it already employes 4,000 employees in the Bay Area with over 13,000 employees worldwide.


Conclusion - Überclok Reactor: “Überperformance” Gaming?
The Überclok Reactor is a performance monster with the available E8400 at 4.01 GHz and dual 8800GTX graphics cards in SLI, but is it worth the price?
We checked the online prices of every component, and our total to build it ourselves was over $2700, including the operating system, keyboard and mouse. The most recent price available from Überclok’s web configuration page was over $3500, which is a difference of around $800.
What does the extra $800 get you, other than a couple hundred dollars worth of service? The Überclok Reactor comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and three-year warranty. Buyers can evaluate their systems and return them if unsatisfied, while those who choose to keep their system will be covered against component failure for three years. These two programs are expensive to manage, because Überclok can’t sell a returned system as new, and Überclok can’t return a processor to Intel if it dies from overclocking. Überclok even pays the shipping for system repairs, taking 100% responsibility for related expenses.
Thus, the price premiums Überclok charges for its custom-tuned systems seem reasonable. Home system builders who cringe at the thought of paying someone else to do the work need to consider the total cost of three years worth of system support, since many home-built systems suffer early deaths when overclocked.
For buyers who have more money than time, the Überclok Reactor provides a great path to performance that exceeds any off-the-shelf parts.


ZURICH (Reuters) - GAM Holding (GAMH.S) Chief Executive Alexander Friedman resigned on Tuesday, the Swiss asset manager said, as the company seeks to reverse billions in asset outflows that came on the heels of the suspension of a top manager.
Board member David Jacob will become interim group CEO and a member of the group management board, GAM said in a statement. The new leadership will better enable the company to take action needed to support profitability and drive forward its strategy, it said.
GAM assets suffered a 17.7 billion Swiss franc (13.5 billion pounds)hit in the third quarter, as slumping markets hurt and as the suspension of absolute return bond fund (ARBF) director Tim Haywood during a misconduct investigation helped prompt investors to withdraw funds.
GAM has since become potential prey, with media reporting that it rebuffed an offer from Schroders Plc (SDR.L) for its hedge fund unit.
As the Swiss company seeks to regain its footing, it said new leadership will help.
Jacob, on GAM’s board since April 2017, was previously CEO of Rogge Global Partners Ltd. Between 2004 and 2013, he held a number of senior roles with Henderson Global Investors, including chief investment officer.


OTTAWA — Samantha MacDougall thought her fight to get her late partner’s Canada Pension Plan benefits would take years.
The government ended the fight for her.
Newly approved changes to the Canada Pension Plan will mean widows and widowers, regardless of age, will receive full survivor benefits, changing five decades of federal policy.
The changes mean anyone under age 35 without children or a disability will receive benefits immediately, rather than having to wait to age 65, and will end benefit clawbacks for survivors under age 45.
Anyone previously denied survivor benefits because of the age rule will be able to re-apply for benefits when the rules take effect in 2019. Those receiving a reduced benefit will automatically see their benefits recalculated upwards.
The government estimates the changes will affect 40,000 people, about half of them being young survivors like MacDougall.
“It is the right thing to do and seeing as the change is being made, I must not be the only one who thinks so,” said MacDougall, whose partner, Greg Weeks, died in 2013.
Federal research found the tight rules disqualified about one-third of widowed Canadians from immediate benefits, such as Jilian Derksen who was told she would have to wait until she turned 65 to collect payments.
A federal tribunal rejected her appeal of the decision, saying she had no hope of winning.
Derksen said she planned to submit anew her application for the benefits accrued by her husband Daniel, who died in 2016.
“This is great news, just when I thought rules can’t be broken,” she said.
For decades, the government maintained the age restrictions reflected the fact that a survivor with no children or disability ought to be able to adapt financially to the loss of a partner by going back to work. The benefits were paid out when the surviving spouse turned 65.
An official from the Finance Department said the changes recognized survivors of any age face financial difficulties following the death of a spouse.
The change to survivor benefits was one of several that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his provincial counterparts agreed to during a two-day meeting this week and one that had broad support from labour groups and opposition parties.
But those same groups are withholding judgment on other changes designed to boost retirement benefits for parents and those with disabilities.
The finance ministers agreed to a formula to assign income for years when someone was out of the workforce to raise a child or because of disability — a drop-in amount based on an average of previous years’ earnings. The provision differs from what exists in the base CPP, where recipients can drop years of lower earnings from the calculation of their retirement pension.
The government says the drop-in rules would protect the CPP enhancement retirement pension, but Conservative MP Karen Vecchio said she wanted see the numbers to prove that was the case.
NDP critic Scott Duvall said he didn’t think that the drop-in provisions would provide the same benefits as the drop-out provisions in the base CPP.
Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, called on the government to provide actuarial modelling to show what is going to happen over time.
“Unless they’re able to produce that, then I think it’s a real problem for us politically because we couldn’t support it if it doesn’t really end up ensuring that women and folks with disabilities aren’t going to be disadvantaged,” he said.


The actor and director Alan Rickman is to direct a new London production of Strindberg's play Creditors, in an adaptation by playwright David Greig. The play - a grittily comic tale of honour, jealousy and revenge, about a sculptor awaiting the return of his new wife - opens at the Donmar Warehouse in September. It will not be the first time in the director's chair for Rickman, who is now casting the production. He directed the hit play My Name Is Rachel Corrie at the Royal Court in 2005, and The Winter Guest at the Almeida 10 years before.
"Alan Rickman has already proved himself to be a wonderful director as well as a wonderful actor," says the Donmar's artistic director, Michael Grandage. "As we continue to explore the European repertoire here at the Donmar, he felt like the perfect match for this material."


The Alberene Improvement Project, a joint neighborhood revitalization effort between AHIP and the County of Albemarle, is one of 11 statewide projects receiving funding through more than $9.5 million in Community Development Block Grants announced by Governor Terry McAuliffe late last week. The local home rehab and community preservation initiative focusing on Alberene in rural southern Albemarle will receive $855,000 in CDBG support to help approximately 30 families with critical home repair needs over two years.
In 1883, two New York businessmen started the Alberene Soapstone Company. One of the men, James H. Serene, combined his last name and “Albemarle,” coining the name of the community that became home for the workers of one of the area’s largest employers. Several of the homes built then are still there, along with a mix of ranch-style houses from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
AHIP knew from its extensive waitlist data that there was high demand for rehab and energy-efficiency work in southern Albemarle. The two-year CDBG funding will allow AHIP and the county to carry out comprehensive rehab projects and tackle failing roofs, lack of heat, failed wells and septic systems, faulty plumbing, dangerous electrical systems, unsafe structures, peeling paint, dilapidated kitchens and bathrooms, mold, hazardous steps, lack of insulation, broken windows and doors, and more.
Additionally, all appliances replaced and weatherization upgrades will meet national EnergyStar standards. Client families being served through the Alberene Improvement Project are expected to have lower utility costs, as well as consume 10-20 percent less energy.
Work will soon be underway on projects for the first of 18 families that will receive help in Phase 1; 11 more are slated for Phase 2. The joint effort will help extremely low- to low-income families, with the 72 people included in the two-year plan earning 38 percent of Area Median Income.
“I have an old house, I love the old house. But, it’s hard to keep all that up and when a house gets to be a certain age, it just needs more work,” said Alberene homeowner Nancy Wray in an interview with NBC29 earlier this year. Wray’s home was built in 1903, and she has lived there for 31 years. She works part time for a local nonprofit. AHIP helped Wray in December 2014 by installing a new HVAC system after a house fire left her without heat. Her home needs extensive repairs and upgrades to be safe and fully functional.
“I have some leaky roof issues. I have a bad floor in my kitchen which makes me very nervous,” said Wray.
Since 1982, the federally funded CDBG program has been administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. During this year’s competitive cycle, 19 proposals were submitted by localities, totaling more than $16.5 million in funding requests.
Since submitting the request to DHCD in March, AHIP has been actively seeking private funding partners to help more clients in Alberene and adjacent neighborhoods. Both Perry Foundation, Inc. and Twentieth Century Merchants Fund in CACF have pledged significant support, along with several local foundations and family funds.
AHIP, Charlottesville and Albemarle’s home repair nonprofit, helps keep our neighbors in need safe, warm and dry in their homes. During its 40 years of service to the community, AHIP has helped thousands of families with critical home repairs—small, urgent repairs, on up to large home rehabilitations and replacements. AHIP can build a handicap ramp for a senior citizen or a replacement home for a family living without indoor plumbing—and everything in between. For more information, visit www.ahipva.org.


A week-long film festival to celebrate the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, two-spirit and queer communities begins tonight at the Gas Station Theatre.
Reel Pride will begin with “Beyond the Celluloid,” a visual and auditory gathering of some of the best artists in Winnipeg and beyond. The free event is open to the public and will be one of several events planned for the week. Showtime is 8 p.m.
The festival continues in its film format for the rest of the week, wrapping up on Sunday, October 14.
Tickets are $8 per show, $7 for students or $24 for 4 seats. A complete show schedule is available at ReelPride.org.


Here are the top five air purifiers you can get in both online and offline markets.
Post Diwali 2018, the air quality in northern part of India has deteriorated significantly, with Delhi being the worst hit. Large parts of Delhi have shown an Air Quality Index (AQI) of more than 999 when it comes to the most harmful PM2.5 particulate matter. There’s no other way of putting this: if you live in North India, the air you are breathing is hazardous at worst or ranges at very unhealthy in the best case scenario. The long term impacts of air pollution paint a scary picture where health is concerned.
One way to mitigate some of these risks is relying on air purifiers in your rooms, especially in bedrooms, to at least reduce some impact. Here is a list of air purifiers that you can currently purchase in India. This list is based on the options we have reviewed.
The Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2S features a 3 layer HEPA filter.
Xiaomi’s Mi Air Purifier 2S was recently launched in the country as a successor to the Mi Air Purifier 2 and can be seen as the most affordable option on the list. The device continues with the standard high-efficiency particulate air or HEPA filter.
HEPA filters are the standard when it comes to removing PM2.5 particles and other things like pollen, pet dander, etc. It utilises a 360-degree cylindrical three-layer HEPA filter with a claimed clean air delivery rate (CADR) of 310-meter cube per hour, which should be good enough for most homes and especially bedrooms.
Mi Air Purifier 2S also sports an OLED display to show consumers the air quality index on the device without always having to rely on the app. Now whether you trust that number is something else.
Dyson Pure Cool Advanced Technology Air Purifier has more filters than the previous version.
If you are looking to go one step up when it comes to what an air purifier can do, then consider the Dyson Pure Cool Advanced Technology. Dyson claims it purifies much thinner PM 0.1 particles which most other players in the market cannot do. Dyson does this thanks to a glass mesh that ensures the smaller particles are filtered even before they reach the HEPA pleats. The filter life is also more than most of the completion. Also, the sensors on the devices are on constant lookout for particles and adjust the filtration process accordingly. The air purifier uses an extra thick HEPA pleats filters, which allows it to filter PM 0.1 particles which are over 100 times smaller than PM 2.5 particles.
It also offers a bladeless fan which adjusts the variable speed of the purifier on its own depending upon the conditions. Then there is the display which shows you readings from inside your home along with the AQI index of your city. The app also lets you control the device remotely. It also promises to clear air in the entire room and not just where it is placed. All this justifies the premium pricing too.
Tefal Intense Pure Air XL is ideal for children’s rooms, study rooms and your relaxation rooms.
Tefal Intense Pure Air XL is a tower-shaped sleek air purifier with a four-layer filter including a pre-filter, activated carbon filter, a HEPA filter and a patented NanoCaptur filter. The company claims that the air purifier is able to filter up to 99.97 per cent of pollutants from the air along with harmful gases and odour.
Main USP of this air purifier is its low noise generation, it is claimed that this air purifier only generates 28dBA-52dBA of sound. This makes it ideal for children’s rooms, study rooms and your relaxation rooms. It has four fan speed settings, which helps consumers to help run this purifier in all environments. This air purifier also features a display to give you all the details about your surroundings.
Philips 3000 series air purifier has a coverage area of 1027 square feet.
Philips 3000 series AC3256 comes with a five-layer filter setup, which includes a pre-filter, activated carbon filter, HEPA layer 1 filter, HEPA layer 2 filter and a VitaShield IPS filter. The carbon filter helps get rid of pollens, allergens, odour. The company claims that the air purifier will remove up to 0.02 micron fine particles.
The device has a coverage area of 1027 square feet and can deliver clean air with speed of up to 397 meter-cube per hour.
Honeywell Move Pure 2 features a HEPA and double layer activated carbon filter.
This one is for those who want an air purifier while traveling to work. Honeywell Move Pure 2 is a portable air purifier you can install in your car, with the help of an adhesive layer on the bottom of the product and a power cable. The device consists of a LED display, which shows the number of suspended particles in the air. The company claims that the device cleans the air in 10 minutes with a circulation rate of five times in an hour thanks to its dual fan system.
It guarantees a 50 per cent removal of PM 2.5 particles for three cubic meter volume. Honeywell Move Pure 2 features a HEPA and double layer activated carbon filter to remove smoke, dust, PM 10, PM 2.5, hair, VOCs, odour and other harmful gases. The filter has a life of up to 360 hours, which might not be enough for residents of Delhi, considering the air quality index.


A legal battle to oust a city council member in south suburban Harvey hit a delay in court today. Alderman Lamont Brown has two prior felony convictions, which is not allowed for public officials in Illinois. The city is suing to have him removed, but today a judge allowed Brown more time to seek legal representation. The court takes up the case again later this month.


What’s Next For Hudson Yards?
The city within a city opened Friday on Manhattan’s west side. On Saturday, we got a unique look at one man’s trip to the top.
Hudson Yards developers call it an interactive landmark, which features 2,500 steps and 80 landings with nearly one mile of vertical climb.
CBS2 gave Marsalese a GoPro camera to capture his climb.
Tickets for “Vessel” are free, but you need to reserve a day and time to do visit.


Retired at 35 averages over 2 million viewers.
New York, New York, January 20, 2011 – Against fierce competition from premieres on the broadcast networks, TV Land’s critically-acclaimed hit original sitcom “Hot in Cleveland” scored huge numbers for its second season premiere last night (Wednesday, January 19th at 10 p.m. ET/PT). The series was the most-watched show in its 10 p.m. timeslot in all of cable with nearly 3 million total viewers as well as the #1 scripted series for the night on cable among Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54. Additionally, the series premiere of TV Land’s second original sitcom, “Retired at 35,” which premiered right after “Hot in Cleveland,” averaged over 2 million total viewers and posted impressive triple-digit gains across all key demos versus the channel’s primetime average.
Nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards®, including: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Betty White, “Hot in Cleveland” starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White, posted a 1.4 rating and 1.4 million viewers among the network’s target Adults 25-54 audience, up a whopping +243% in rating and +239% in delivery over the network’s primetime average. TV Land averaged nearly 3 million total viewers, an increase of +199% over primetime. Among Women 25-54, TV Land scored a 1.6/819,000, up +244% in rating and delivery over network channel average. Among the channel’s core audience of Adults 40-54, the network scored a 1.9/1.1 million, an increase of +248% in rating and +247% in delivery over TV Land primetime average.
“Retired at 35” starring veteran actors George Segal and Jessica Walter as well as Johnathan McClain, Josh McDermitt and Ryan Michelle Bathe posted impressive gains for its series premiere with over 2 million total viewers, up +104% over channel primetime average. The sitcom scored a 0.9/982,000, up +135% in rating and +134% in delivery among A25-54 versus TV Land primetime average. Among Women 25-54, it scored a 1.1/555,000, up +133% in rating and delivery over channel norm. Among A40-54, the network posted a 1.4/798,000, up 157% in rating and delivery over channel average.
Yesterday, the day of the premiere of both shows, TV Land.com saw six times their January daily average audience, making it the second highest day ever for the site.
Filmed in front of a live studio audience, “Hot in Cleveland” is executive produced by Emmy® Award-winner Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills Productions and is helmed by Emmy® Award-winning Suzanne Martin (“Frasier,” “Ellen”) serving as executive producer, show runner and writer. Lynda Obst also serves as executive producer.
Chris Case (“Reba,” “Spin City”) is the writer for “Retired at 35” and Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis (“Rita Rocks,” “Reba,” “Titus”) are the executive producers. Keith Cox serves as executive producer for TV Land. “Retired at 35” is filmed in front of a live studio audience.


A well-known official of the UAW has become the fourth person charged in connection with a $4.5 million embezzlement case involving the union and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Virdell King, a retired UAW associate director, was charged in a 17-page document with using a credit card from a training center for Chrysler employees to buy more than $40,000 worth of clothing, jewelry, luggage and other personal items for herself and other senior UAW officials.
King, 65, who is known the first African-American female to be elected president of a local union in UAW-Chrysler's history, was charged in U.S. District Court on Friday in the information document, indicating that she is likely cooperating and working on a plea deal with the government.
A lawyer for King, John Shea, declined to comment Friday.
Among the purchases for herself was a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes for more than $1,000, authorities said. Another was a $2,180 shotgun, gifted to UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell by King in 2015 for his birthday. After discovering the firearm was gifted using stolen funds, Jewell reimbursed the union for the cost. Jewell has not been publicly named as part of the investigation at this time.
"We have thoroughly investigated the matter and concluded that Norwood Jewell did nothing illegal and has acted in line with the UAW's ethical practices," the UAW said in a separate statement.
The financial trail of Jewell's top administrative assistant, Nancy Johnson, is also under federal investigation, The Detroit News reported. Allegedly, her training center credit card was also used to buy luxury designer goods, the newspaper reported.
FCA executives partnered with UAW leaders to siphon funds earmarked for employee training for personal use, a federal indictment alleged. The 42-page document outlines a $2.2 million dollar conspiracy, charging UAW and FCA officials embezzled funds for lavish gifts and home renovation. That amount rose to $4.5 million in stolen funds, according to a plea deal for a third official charged in the conspiracy.
The case has led to criminal charges against three others: former Fiat Chrysler executive Alphons Iacobelli, former FCA financial analyst Jerome Durden and Monica Morgan, the wife of Jewell's predecessor, General Holiefield.
The head of the Detroit FBI, David Gelios, said "years of fraud and corruption within a select group of the FCA and UAW hierarchy continue to be eroded through the diligence and collaboration of law enforcement."
FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said last month the "deplorable" conduct "had nothing whatsoever to do with the collective bargaining process." The company also said in July that the "egregious acts were neither known to nor sanctioned by (Fiat Chrysler)," and declined to elaborate on Friday.
The document released Friday outlines how credit cards tied to the training center funds were distributed to UAW executives. In December 2012, Holiefield allegedly told King that Iacobelli did not have a problem with them using their NTC credit cards to purchase personal items "if we see something we want."
In February 2012, Durden directed that payments to credit cards were to be "screened" from the members of the NTC accounting staff, and changed the security settings of the center's accounting software to further conceal payments, according to the document.
Iacobelli and Holiefield's widow had not guilty pleas entered on their behalf. Durden pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal for his involvement in funneling the money to the Chrysler training center.
A jury trial for Iacobelli and Morgan is scheduled to begin Sept. 25 in Ann Arbor.
The investigation likely will levy more charges against FCA employees and other high-ranking UAW officials who may have been involved.
Following the indictment, the UAW and FCA said they had worked together with the training center to safeguard against future liability. There is now a ban on any charitable donations from the center to a charity run or controlled by a UAW official. There are also new policies and processes in place for vendor and credit cards. Additionally, budgets must be approved by training center board members or directors, and the center has a full-time controller.
A hotline was also created for members to report suspected wrongdoing.


To provide better experiences for customers and a more efficient workforce.
Sydney, Australia – March 19, 2019 – Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA), a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, today announced further integration with Google Cloud Contact Centre artificial intelligence (AI) to provide better experiences for customers and a more efficient workforce, taking full advantage of the powerful artificial intelligence capabilities of both companies.
Recognised as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center1, Avaya extends its leadership in leveraging AI to improve customer experience with more personalised, intelligent and insightful interactions. This includes embedding Google’s machine learning within Avaya conversation services powering the contact centre, enabling easy integration of AI capabilities regardless of channel, promoting a consistent and intelligent experience for customers and delivering true omnichannel experiences with AI. Together, Avaya and Google Cloud are providing customers with increased flexibility, efficiency and scalability in deploying powerful and simple communication and collaboration solutions that improve the customer journey. Avaya IX Contact Centre is an AI-enhanced, omnichannel solution including voice, email, chat and mobile communications to make customer engagement a competitive advantage that drives growth and brand preference.
• Virtual Agents – Human-like automated Bots which seamlessly interact with customers, offloading the live agents’ utilisation until the optimal time and then transferring all context gathered to the agent. Now customers can decide when and how to engage bots throughout the interaction. And the Avaya platform captures the intent, actions and ultimate disposition of each interaction in real-time. Through this rich data, Avaya AI can be applied to decide the next best action in future customer engagement. • Agent Assist – Provides superior customer experience by continuously delivering contextually relevant knowledge base to agents based on real time conversational analysis–for BOTH voice and text-based interactions. Avaya AI algorithms can be applied to Google Contact Centre AI to determine the next best action by the agent, delivering the right information and reducing customer friction – while increasing agent satisfaction and contact centre efficiency. • Conversational Topic Modelling – An unsupervised learning tool designed to uncover key topic areas that customers have been contacting the contact centre about, and abstracting relevant information relating to how topics are articulated. Google Topic Modelling combined with Avaya AI enables agents to leverage real-time visibility of topics with each conversation turn. Through this valuable insight, recommended responses and best actions can be uniquely tailored to each part of the conversation to drive desired outcomes.
Avaya is enhancing the customer experience by strengthening these areas through integration of Google Cloud APIs with key elements of Avaya’s contact centre infrastructure. Additionally, Avaya’s browser-based desktop is designed to easily connect with applications and Google Contact Centre AI is seamlessly incorporated in the agent user experience.
Avaya and Google’s unique collaboration offers a differentiated contact centre solution with a simpler, but more efficient and architecturally superior approach via native gRPC integration for voice. This will enable Avaya IX Contact Centre customers to easily integrate AI providers like Google Cloud and infuse AI capabilities regardless of channel, for consistent omnichannel experiences. Avaya IX Contact Centre solutions are capable of maintaining an awareness of all events, including the sentiment, suggestions and resolution, creating a data lake source for future machine learning processing that generates increasingly impactful results.
The company is showcasing these solutions, and more, at the Avaya booth #1519, Hall D at Enterprise Connect, March 18–21, in Orlando, FL.
About Avaya Businesses are built on the experiences they provide, and every day millions of those experiences are built by Avaya (NYSE:AVYA). For over one hundred years, we’ve enabled organisations around the globe to win – by creating intelligent communications experiences for customers and employees. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration – in the cloud, on-premise or a hybrid of both. To grow your business, we’re committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what’s next. We’re the technology company you trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter. Visit us at www.avaya.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document contains certain “forward-looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking” statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," “our vision,” "plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or “would” or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology and include, but are not limited to, expected cash savings and statements about growth, exchange listing and improved operational metrics. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are discussed in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company’s filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov. The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in the Company’s SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, considering these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this report may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.


I’ll admit it: Three years ago, when nail art first made a break for respectable popularity, I wasn’t just resistant—I was annoyed. I’m an aesthetic minimalist, and nail art is the obvious antithesis of understated beauty; it doesn’t just call for attention—it begs for it shamelessly. I don’t want your glitter or pom-poms or gemstones or bright colors anywhere near my fingertips. Accoutrements are not welcome here. You get the picture.
I waited years for nail art to join the ranks of acrylic French tips and die a slow, permanent death, so you could imagine my surprise when, late last summer, I found myself sitting across from Misleidys, a nail tech at Valley salon in NYC, agreeing to let her draw something on my nails. Well, more accurately, I let her draw something on half of my nail, thereby making it a negative space manicure. The trend, which often takes on a geometric or graphic vibe, manages to look sophisticated and playful at the same time. To prove it, I found 50 negative space nail designs that won’t scare even the most minimal among us. Check them out ahead.