There are conflicting reports today regarding the condition of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A spokesperson for the military hospital treating him said in the evening that Arafat’s condition had been stable for the past twenty-four hours, declaring “the state of health of president Arafat has not worsened.” Palestinian envoy to France Leila Shahid denied Arafat was brain dead and said he is in a reversible coma. Arafat has not named a successor, but some of his powers over security and financing have been transferred to Prime Minister Ahmed Quriea.
The number of people without jobs in Americas rose slightly in October to 5.5 percent. Aliya Shahid reports from Washington DC.
The ACLU says it will sue to stop California from implementing an initiative that would allow the state to take DNA samples of who have not been charged with a crime. Kellia Ramares has more from Berkeley.
Nearly one hundred students staged an overnight sit down protest at Boulder High school in Colorado last night. Maeve Conran reports from affiliate station KGNU.
Renewed War in Cote D’ivoire?
In the Ivory Coast, air raids carried out by government forces on the former rebels suggest that war there has reignited, despite the UN-backed peace process. Rebels and opposition politicians in Ivory Coast are pleading for international help as attacks against them by the military and supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo continued for a second day today. The violence comes despite more than 10,000 peacekeepers in the country. The raids were the first major hostilities since a truce signed in May last year ended fighting that killed thousands and uprooted more than a million people. U.N. agencies decided to suspend their relief and humanitarian work throughout the country as a result of the renewed fighting.
WalMart inaugurated its controversial superstore within the perimeter of Mexico City’s famed pre-Hispanic Teotihuacan Ruins despite on-going protests. Tim Russo brings us more from Mexico.
The only Indonesian jailed for abuses during East Timor’s violence-marred independence vote has been cleared on appeal in a move that has angered rights groups and embarrassed the Jakarta government. Abilio Soares, the last Indonesian governor of East Timor who was jailed for three years in July, could be released as soon as today following a Supreme Court ruling acquitting him of crimes against humanity during the UN-backed referendum. The court said that because East Timor was under military rule at the time of the bloodshed, the civilian governor was not responsible.
Earlier this week, a former Chinese Vice Premiere accused President Bush of trying to rule the world. Qian Qichen said Bush’s foreign policy advocates controlling the world through the use of overwhelming force and that the Iraqi invasion has caused a rise in terrorist activity and has broaden the rift between the US and Europe. But, as Mitch Jeserich reports, Bush, who says he’s just trying to bring freedom to the world, doesn’t see the need for a change.
US fighter jets struck the Iraqi city of Fallujah with five aerial raids in 12 hours in preparation for what is to believed to be an all out assault on the city. Iraq’s US-installed prime minister, Ayad Allawi, said that the “window is closing” for a peaceful settlement to avert war on Fallujah. Overnight, U.S. troops sealed off roads into the city leaving residents trapped inside. Nearby highways are full of US army personnel. Inside Iraq, many are feeling the screws tighten in the days after the Bush reelection and a resident of Baghdad, Eman Kmash told FSRN’s Salam Talib that the Bush victory signals dark days ahead for Iraqis.
Meanwhile, FSRN’s death-row commentator, Mumia Abu Jamal, reflects on how John Kerry may indeed have helped Bush win the election.
The situation in Sudan is worsening and could soon become a state of anarchy. That’s according to the latest from a UN special envoy. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell has more from New York.
Another major about face in India with the so-called Best Bakery trial, the most high profile court case following the Hindu-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat two years ago. The outcome of the Best Bakery trials, in which Hindu’s stood trial for violence against Muslims, was over ruled by India’s Supreme Court and a retrial ordered. Now it appears that one key witness, whose testimony lead to the acquittal of 21 men, may have lied to the court. And as our Correspondent Binu Alex reports from Ahmedabad, the witness, Zaheera Sheikh yesterday accused community activist Teesta Setalvad of “pressuring” her to make a statement naming “innocent persons” during the ongoing retrial which, if allowed to stand, clears the Gujarati government of Narendra Modi of involvement in the pogrom.
Mexico’s Congress is poised to discuss reforms to federal communication law which would attempt to regulate concentration in both radio and television ownership. Last year Mexican president Vicente Fox reformed the federal communications law to reduce time set aside for the government to lower taxes for major media corporations. While media corporations enjoy many freedoms under Mexican law, many journalists themselves have been subjected to threats, harassment, and even murder. In the past six months, four Mexican journalists have been assassinated. Vladimir Flores takes a look at the climate of press freedoms South of the Border.


Care2 Causes | What Is The Zika Virus And Why Is The U.S. Government Restricting Travel To South America?
What Is The Zika Virus And Why Is The U.S. Government Restricting Travel To South America?
The U.S. government last week advised pregnant women not to travel to Central or South America on account of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The message was that pregnant women, or women considering becoming pregnant, should exercise “enhanced precautions” when traveling to these places: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The virus was discovered in 1947 in the Zika forest of Uganda; although common in Africa, it had not been recorded in the Western Hemisphere until last May, when an outbreak occurred in Brazil. With no immune defenses against this brand new virus in the West, it has been spreading rapidly.
Zika is an infection transmitted by mosquitoes, which is exactly how malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, and West Nile virus are passed along.
How does this work? Female mosquitoes need protein in order to procreate, and they get it by feeding on warm-blooded creatures, including birds, horses, and people. When a mosquito first bites an infected creature, and then bites you, it can pass the disease into your bloodstream.
There are many species of mosquitoes; Zika is spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes species, which breeds in small pools of water.
The aggressive yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, has spread most Zika cases, but that mosquito is common in the United States only in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, and in Hawaii – although it has been found as far north as Washington in hot weather.
The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is also known to transmit the virus, but it is not clear how efficiently. That mosquito ranges as far north as New York and Chicago in summer.
For most people the virus is not deadly, or even very serious. Symptoms include fever, a rash, joint pain and red eyes, but they generally don’t last more than a week.
But while the effect of the Zika virus on most humans is not usually dangerous, that’s not the case for a fetus. Infection with the virus appears to be linked to the development of unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns, which is the reason for the Level 2 warning from the CDC.
Since the Zika Virus was first diagnosed in Brazil last May, there have been an alarming number of birth defects recorded.
Brazil is investigating more than more than 2,400 suspected cases of microcephaly and 29 deaths of infants that occurred this year. Last year the country saw only 147 cases of microcephaly.
The situation in Brazil is so overwhelming that Angela Rocha, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist in Pernambuco, one of the hardest hit states, said in an interview with CNN that women may want to hold off on getting pregnant.
Zika Virus In The U.S.
The CDC has said that there are at least “a dozen or so” confirmed cases of Zika virus in residents who recently traveled to countries where the mosquito-borne virus is spreading.
While the agency cannot provide a complete breakdown of these cases, since states have to authorize releasing that information, it has confirmed that the number of cases is from 2015 to date, and that confirmed cases are in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Texas. At this point, all the confirmed cases in the U.S. have been in travelers returning from other countries where the Zika virus is known to exist, so it appears likely that they were infected abroad and not in the U.S. mainland.
South American countries have tried hard to wipe out those pesky mosquitoes that carry diseases. Brazil has even used the military to destroy the places where these insects live; Mexico is struggling to defeat dengue fever, which is gaining a deadly hold, by testing its first vaccine, while Colombia is using mosquitoes treated with bacteria to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
For Brazil, it remains to be seen if the threat of the Zika virus will have any impact on this year’s Summer Olympic Games, scheduled to begin in Rio de Janeiro on August 5.
Just another attempt of U.S.A. military labs, to control worldwide population along with HIV and AIDS. Best testing area is Africa (always !) but accidents always are happening !
All right, Andrea G., so who's responsible for the Zika virus being in Uganda in the first place?
We don't have a really good basic sanitation in Brazil. We lots of of cases of Leishmanioses too.
Let us hope they will limit the viruses with vaccines and protection against mosquitoes. Destroying waters is not a good idea; even if the insects breed less because of that, there will be many other bad consequences, including even more climate change.
There's no certainty that the virus really causes fetus problems, the cause may be another... But we don't really know.
Doesn't matter- be here soon.
Oops, let me correct my typing. Viruses don't care who you are or where you were born.


BNP reiterates its allegation that the government is plotting with the administration and law enforcers to reclaim power through a lopsided election.
BNP alleges that 'state-sponsored' verdicts were given in the August 21 grenade attack cases, aiming to destroy BNP in a planned way.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed alleges that the government is trying to influence the verdict in the August 21 grenade attack case.
BNP yesterday urged the government to engage in talks with the party with an open mind over the next general election.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been harassed both mentally and physically in the name of treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), party's Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed alleges.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police allows BNP to hold its planned rally at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital on March 30.
The label of developed country is meaningless when democracy is absent in Bangladesh, BNP Standing Committee Member Moudud Ahmed says.
The hope to get justice is getting diminished in the country as the government has taken control over the judiciary, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed alleges.
BNP seeks the government's permission to hold a public rally at Suhrawardi Udyan in Dhaka tomorrow demanding unconditional release of the party chief Khaleda Zia from jail.
Hitting back at the ruling party, BNP says Awami League has a close link with the attack on eminent writer Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi says the party will bring out processions across the country on Monday, February 26, 2018, protesting the attack on their black flag demonstration programme in Dhaka.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed says that his party will not participate in the upcoming general election keeping its Chairperson Khaleda Zia in jail.
BNP announces to hold a rally on February 22 protesting the jail sentence of its Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a corruption case.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed comes down hard on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saying that she expressed her self-satisfaction after sending Khaleda Zia to jail in a “politically motivated case”.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed terms the much-talked-about Rampal power plant as an “anti-state project” saying his party will remain vocal against implementation of it.
BNP alleges that the charge of country’s independent territorial sovereignty has been handed over to India through signing the memorandum of understandings on defence areas.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed reaches the Election Commission (EC) to submit a statement over irregularities at the local administration in Comilla City Corporation polls scheduled to be held on March 30.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed alleges that the government wants to divert people’s attention by pressing charges against Khaleda Zia.


July 24, 2017 Alex Acosta, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, George Bennett, Mar-a-Lago, Rudy Giuliani, Uncategorized, Wilbur Ross.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at Donald Trump’s election night celebration.
President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet already has a distinctive Palm Beach flavor.
Rudy Giuliani with friend and former Palm Beach Town Councilman Bill Diamond outside Palm Beach Town Hall in 2015.
Trump, the part-time Palm Beacher who visited his Mar-a-Lago estate seven times in his first 100 days as president, has already tapped Palm Beach neighbor Wilbur Ross for Commerce secretary and Palm Beach resident Robert Lighthizer for the Cabinet-level post of U.S. trade representative.
Palm Beach Gardens resident Ben Carson is secretary of Housing and Urban Development. And Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is a Miami resident who made headlines overseeing corruption probes in Palm Beach County as a federal prosecutor.
Now that Trump has made his irritation with Attorney General Jeff Sessions clear, Axios.com is reporting that the president is considering longtime ally Rudy Giuliani to replace Sessions.
Former New York Mayor Giuliani is frequently sighted in Palm Beach and owns a pair of condos on the island — a Lake Drive unit valued at $1.6 million and Cocoanut Row place appraised at $390,000.


Microsoft's Latest Zune Pitch: What Do You Think?
Above is the latest Zune Social TV advert from Microsoft. I’ve watched it a couple of times now and I’m not sure whether I suppose to think that it’s clever, or it’s representative of a Lewis Carroll-esque fantasy of someone on an acid trip. I’m still more likely to buy a new iPod, but as TechCrunch commenter’s love to point out, I’m an Apple fanboy now anyway. What do you think?
The accompanying Zune Journey website is here and it’s just as trippy.


WGN-Ch. 9's Joanie Lum surveys the bewildering world of shopping in this column, which runs here on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. The week of each column, Joanie will have more on Thursday's "WGN News at Nine" and Friday's "WGN Morning News.
Mary Poppins sang about them. Ben Franklin performed scientific experiments with them. Charlie Brown got wrapped up in them, literally.
Kites are possibly the least expensive sports equipment for an afternoon of tranquil entertainment.
The simplest ones are made of paper and string. Maybe that's why kite flying has been around for more than 2,000 years. Kites range in size from a postage stamp to 150-foot-long Asian dragons. They can cost pennies or hundreds of dollars.
David Zavelle, manager of Kite Harbor (Chicago and Oak Park), is an expert stunt kite flyer. For beginners, he recommends flying the Delta kite ($4.99-$35). It's a bat-shaped kite that launches the first time it's tossed into the wind -- no running is involved. Similarly, Parafoils (parachute kites with baffles that fill with air) launch straight up so they make easy flying in tight spaces or parks crowded with trees. Diamond-shaped kites held together by perpendicular sticks might be the most recognized, but Zavelle says they're the hardest to fly. They require a lot of running. So do box kites ($14).
Stunt kites ($20-$500) look intimidating but are easy to fly. They're shaped like the delta, but usually are controlled by two lines of string and can dance across the sky. The flyer can manipulate the kite's direction rather than let the wind control its fate. Zavelle says stunt kite flying is a competitive sport that also delivers the simple pleasure of knowing your own hands are steering the kite's path.
Zavelle sells a variety of wind dancers, including pinwheels, flags and bird-shaped wind socks that he says keep predators from nibbling in the garden. In ancient history, kites were used to measure the distance to the enemy during wars in China. In Japan, they're still used in religious ceremonies to bring good luck for the coming harvest.
Here at home, the wind calls kids and adults alike to this peaceful sport. April and May are the best months to fly in Chicagoland . Nowadays, kites are made to travel, and can be wadded up and stuffed into a hip-pack.
Check out Mayor Daley's Kids and Kites Fest at the Museum of Science and Industry, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 6 (rain date May 7). Kids will get instruction and a kite-making kit. Bring a picnic basket of food and enjoy gazing at the sky. 773-684-1414.
The best winds are 8-20 m.p.h.
Tails are helpful only in high winds, more than 20 m.p.h.


Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper coach Brian Baloyi is leaving the Naturena club.
Kaizer Chiefs have announced that club legend Brian Baloyi has been released from his contract and will leave the club at the end of the month.
The 44 year-old returned to Chiefs two seasons ago and played a role as assistant to the late goalkeeper coach Alex Revoredo.
Baloyi remained active in the club's goalkeeping structures after Revoredo's death last year but questions were raised about his role after Chiefs appointed Lee Baxter, the son of Bafana Bafana head coach, as head of goalkeeping in February.
Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung announced on Tuesday that Baloyi's contract will expire at the end of the month and it will not be renewed.
"I wish to thank Brian for his contribution during his return to the club which is his home‚" said Motaung.
"When we brought Brian back in the fold we had intentions to have a longer engagement‚ but he recently indicated a willingness to pursue other ventures.
"We gave him our blessings and we will continue to collaborate with him going forward."
The 16-year relationship between Amakhosi and Baloyi came to an abrupt end a few days before the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
In recent times he took up a role in the goalkeeping area with the team's Youth Development Academy at Naturena.
Baloyi revealed that he will venture into business.
"I will be pursuing other business ventures‚" said the former Chiefs captain and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Baloyi.
"I will also be embarking on goalkeeping development programmes.
"I grew up at Chiefs and I will forever be grateful to the club for the opportunity to get to where I am today."
Motaung said the club would continue to work with Baloyi when the need arises.
"I wish to bid Brian farewell and success in his new endeavours.
"We look forward to continue working with Brian and on collaborative efforts to improve the goalkeeping area in our country‚" concluded Motaung.


The owner of a trucking company and a former bank executive have both been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for their roles in an elaborate check-kiting scheme that defrauded a Minnesota bank of nearly $1.5 million.
In April, a federal jury found George L. Wintz, Jr., 72 – owner of Triangle Warehouse Inc., McCallum Transfer Inc. and Cue Properties LLC – guilty of two counts of bank fraud and one count of embezzlement from Triangle’s 401(k) plan.
John A. Markert, 58, of Mendota Heights, MN, former bank president at Pinehurst Bank of St. Paul, was found guilty on five counts of misapplication of bank funds.
According to court documents, Markert allegedly aided Wintz, a customer of his bank. The check-kiting scheme, as well as a series of five fraudulent loans totaling $1.9 million, was designed to hide approximately $1.85 million in bad checks written from accounts controlled by Wintz from March 2009 to January 2010.
Another bank discovered the scheme in February 2009 and returned more than $1.8 million in worthless checks to Pinehurst Bank. However, an independent audit uncovered the scheme in January 2010, and Pinehurst Bank was forced to close in May 2010.
Markert and Wintz were indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2011.


All-flash storage has become increasingly popular in data centers as a means of much faster data access than traditional hard disk, but its growth has been impeded by cost and storage density. There was too much of the former and too little of the latter.
Every memory, storage and server vendor is working full out to address that issue, and it has turned into quite an arms race, which benefits the customer. So much so that Gartner predicts that within the next 12 months, solid-state arrays will improve in performance by a factor of 10 while doubling in density and cost-effectiveness.
IBM has just made its contribution to that growth. It has announced advances in flash storage that it claims will provide a three-fold increase in density in the same physical space for its FlashSystem 900 flash arrays, while reducing data capacity costs by 60 percent.
IBM used Micron’s newest 3D stacking memory to achieve this density. A few years back, NAND flash memory hit a wall at around 16nm, where it became impossible to shrink the memory cells any smaller. That stopped the growth of memory density and thus capacity when they couldn’t squeeze any more bits into the same space.
The solution that flash memory makers like Micron came up with was to stack the layers of flash memory on top of each other like pancakes. If they couldn’t scale out, they could scale up. Very quickly they expanded from 32 layers to 48 layers to 64 layers, and Western Digital is talking about 96-layer NAND flash sometime in the near future.
With the stacking comes increased capacity again. That’s how IBM is able to get three times the storage capacity in the same space. The current FlashSystem 900 on the market – which has been on the market since April of last year, so it was due for an upgrade – has 60TB of capacity. Now it has a max capacity of 180TB.
It’s the same trick everyone uses, since Micron has many partners, but IBM has its own secret sauce, as well. It uses hardware compression with a custom FPGA, so the array doesn’t need to talk to the CPU to perform the compression. It’s all done in the flash array itself. This allows for much faster speed. IBM also claims there is no single point of failure in the array for always-on performance.
At the same time, IBM also introduced new virtualization software called Spectrum Virtualize, which is designed to ease the migration of data to and from its public cloud services — for simple data migrations, as well as for disaster recovery of data.
Finally, new software enables IBM and non-IBM storage to be used with the Docker and Kubernetes containers environments, and new cloud-based software integrates storage with artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide constant diagnostics to help optimize the performance, capacity and health of clients’ storage infrastructure.
IBM said the new all-flash systems and new software would be available by the end of the year.


Self-driving taxis can take you where you want to go.
It might not be flying taxis, but self-driving taxis on the road started test runs in Dubai on Sunday.
At the technology show, GITEX Technology Week, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, or RTA, showed off its autonomous taxi service.
The driverless car service kicked off at the show and will run for the next three months in select parts of the city, according to transportation officials.
The cars are intended to connect passengers during the "first and last mile" to get from existing transportation systems to, say, a shopping mall or movie theater or other venue or to get back home.
An autonomous taxi will take passengers around Dubai.
The RTA said the cars go up about 20 mph and fit four passengers. Up front is a safety driver who can take over the car if needed. In promotional materials the cars are depicted without anyone in the front seat for a truly driverless experience, hinting at what the transportation agency could introduce later. The cars are modified Mercedes-Benz sedans with cameras, sensors, and LiDAR system built into the car.
The taxis come after Dubai tested self-driving passenger drones for an air-based taxi system. That service hasn't taken off yet for the general public to use.
A release about the taxi service hailed the program for its contribution in "transforming Dubai into the smartest city in the world."


CHESTER -- A Chester plant that produced raw material for the glass industry is being sold less than three years after breaking ground.
Minerals Technologies, the New York-based company that owns the facility, opted to close plant on Dec. 31 because of a lack of demand for the product the plant manufactured, said spokesman Rick Honey.
Located on a 15-acre site at the intersection of Ecology Lane and Beltline Road, the plant was designed to produce about 200,000 tons of Synsil Products per year.
SC Fastest-Growing Companies 2008, Elliott Davis, LLC, P.O. Box 6286, Greenville, SC 29606. For more details, call (864) 242-3370 or e-mail fastest@elliottdavis.com.
The Top 25 highest-ranking companies will be recognized through a statewide publicity campaign.
LADSON -- A Ladson company that makes armored military vehicles has received two new international contracts worth $123 million.
Force Protection says one contract worth $115 million calls for building 174 of the company's Cougar Mastiff vehicles for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense.
A second contract worth more than $8 million is with the Italian government for six Cougar troop transport vehicles and four Buffalo vehicles used to clear land mines.
CHARLOTTE -- Bojangles will open its first airport restaurant this spring at Charlotte/Douglas International, company officials said Friday.
Work started last month on the restaurant, which is scheduled to open in April. FDY, a food service management company, will operate the franchise.
Bojangles was founded in 1977 in Charlotte.


LONDON — It weighs in at more than 130 pounds, but the authoritative guide to the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, may eventually slim down to nothing.
Oxford University Press, the publisher, said Sunday so many people prefer to look up words using its online product that it’s uncertain whether the 126-year-old dictionary’s next edition will be printed on paper at all.
The digital version of the Oxford English Dictionary now gets 2 million hits a month from subscribers, who pay $295 a year for the service in the U.S. In contrast, the current printed edition — a 20-volume, 750-pound ($1,165) set published in 1989 — has sold about 30,000 sets in total.
It’s just one more sign that the speed and ease of using Internet reference sites — and their ability to be quickly updated — are phasing out printed reference books. Google and Wikipedia are much more popular research tools than the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and dozens of free online dictionaries offer word meanings at the click of a mouse. Dictionary.com even offers a free iPhone application.
By the time the lexicographers behind the century-old Oxford English Dictionary finish revising and updating its third edition — a gargantuan task that will take a decade or more — publishers doubt there will be a market for the printed form.
Nigel Portwood, chief executive of Oxford University Press, told The Sunday Times in an interview he didn’t think the newest edition will be printed. “The print dictionary market is just disappearing. It is falling away by tens of percent a year,” he said.
His comment related primarily to the full-length dictionary, but he said the convenience of the electronic format also is affecting demand for its shorter dictionaries.
It’s too early to predict whether digital dictionaries will completely wipe out the printed format, and Portwood stressed that Oxford University Press has no plans to stop publishing print dictionaries. Schools still rely primarily on printed versions, the publisher said, and demand for its best-seller, the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, is still high among nonnative English learners.
Ben Robinson owns a micro-print version of the full Oxford that requires a magnifying glass to read, but the London part-time writer said he rarely uses it these days. Instead, he now consults the iPhone dictionary and thesaurus most often, and sometimes uses the online Oxford English Dictionary when he wants to find out the full history or more meanings of a word.
“Few people own the full version so maybe now that it is online more people can gain access to it,” said the 30-year-old. He would still mourn the loss of the printed version, he added.
Launched in 2000, the online Oxford also makes it easier for its publisher to catch up with rapid semantic changes and new words.
Editors put updates out every three months. In March, for example, they added words such as “techy” and “superbug” to the online version.
The dictionary was first published in parts starting in 1884. It kept growing for decades until the complete text went out in 1928. It was the first comprehensive English dictionary since Samuel Johnson’s “A Dictionary of the English Language” was published in 1755, and has since evolved to become the accepted authority on the meaning and history of words.
The version users now consult — the second edition — has 291,500 entries, plus 2.4 million quotations as sources. Unlike shorter printed versions such as the single-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, it doesn’t track current usage.
A team of 80 lexicographers are preparing the third edition of the dictionary, which is just one-quarter finished. Oxford University Press hasn’t yet given a date for when the third edition will be ready.
In December, the online version will be relaunched to include a historical thesaurus to make cross-referencing easier.


“Westworld Mobile” will be available for download on Thursday, according to a tweet from the App store that was retweeted from the official Twitter handle of the game.
Players take the role of a new Delos employee in the upcoming “Westworld Mobile.” Players can manage the park from the hit HBO series “Westworld” and all of its locations, such as Sweetwater, Escalante, and Las Mudas.
Managing the hosts is a big part of the job too, and players can even customize the hosts props, appearances, and even their reveries— gestures that hosts develop in spite of their memories being wiped, a key feature noted in the first season of the TV series.
Players can also match hosts to guests, determining which hosts will best meet the needs whether that means fulfilling their sense of adventure or, erm, other desires.
Players can also interact with familiar characters from the television series such as Dolores, Bernard, Dr. Ford, and Maeve, among others.
“Westworld Mobile” will be available for download on the App Store and Google Play store. You can pre-register now to unlock extra features, such as early access to the host Lawrence and extra coins and gems, on the game’s official website.


ASHEVILLE – Insurance Commissioner and Safe Kids N.C. Chair Mike Causey invites the public to drop off their unused medication at our Operation Medicine Drop prescription drug take back event so it can be properly disposed of and kept out of the wrong hands.
WHEN: Thursday, March 21, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Safe Kids North Carolina is dedicated to preventing childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in North Carolina. For more information, contact coordinator Shannon Bullock at 919.647.0081 or Shannon.Bullock@ncdoi.gov.


Bon-Ton files for bankruptcy. What does that mean for Younkers?
Younkers' parent company has filed for bankruptcy. What will happen to Des Moines stores?
Younkers department stores will remain open as its parent company, Bon-Ton Stores Inc., works through bankruptcy with the aim of restructuring the company or selling it.
Bon-Ton has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in Delaware bankruptcy court.
The company will continue with previously announced plans to close 47 of its 260 stores, including Younkers stores in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids.
Bon-Ton has 15 additional Younkers stores in Iowa, including four in the Des Moines metro. It also owns a Herberger's store in Ottumwa. It’s unclear whether more stores will be shuttered as part of the restructuring.
Randy Tennison, general manager of Jordan Creek Town Center, said he had no information how the bankruptcy would affect the Younkers store at the West Des Moines mall.
"We don't think ours is on the closing list," he said.
There are Younkers stores at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, and at Merle Hay and Southridge malls in Des Moines.
Bon-Ton, which has corporate offices in York, Pa., and Milwaukee, has asked the bankruptcy court for permission to continue operating while it restructures its debt and business operations. It has already gotten about $725 million in bankruptcy financing to maintain business.
Bon-Ton chief executive Bill Tracy said stores will operate normally through the bankruptcy process. Bon-Ton Stores listed $1.59 billion in assets and $1.74 billion in debt as of Oct. 28.
The company operates stores under the names Herberger’s, Boston Store, Carsons, Bergner’s, Bon-Ton, Elder-Beerman and Younkers.
Younkers was founded in 1874 in downtown Des Moines. The store was the first to have electric stairs (escalators) installed and was home to the well-known Younkers Tea Room, which hosted decades of lunches and parties.
The company was sold to Equitable of Iowa Cos. in 1978 and to Saks Inc., then operating as Proffitt’s Inc., in 1996. Saks sold the department store chain to Bon-Ton in 2006.
Reporter Nathan Bomey from USA TODAY contributed to this report.


Survey rates well-being in all 50 states. Here's a look at the rankings.
Below, a look at how state rankings have shifted from 2011 to 2012 in the annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. The survey is based on residents' responses about physical health, job satisfaction and other factors that affect quality of life.
For many people a vacation in Hawaii would be a dream, but living there might be even better. Hawaiians agree.
Hawaii ranks No. 1 for the fourth year in a row as the state where residents report the best sense of overall well-being, based on physical health, outlook on life, job satisfaction and other factors that affect quality of life, according to the annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, released Wednesday.
Other states that have consistently ranked in the top 10 on the well-being index every year from 2008 to 2012 include Utah, Minnesota, Colorado and Montana.
Folks in these states tend to have lower rates of obesity and fewer medical problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, chronic pain. They also report enjoying their jobs more, have lower rates of smoking, and exercise more often than residents in states that rank lower on the list.
Five states that have always been in the bottom 10 with the lowest well-being score every year from 2008 to 2012: West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Overall, 53% of adults rated their lives as "thriving" in 2012, about the same percentage as 2010 and 2011. The rest of those surveyed in 2012 feel that they are struggling (43.5%) or suffering (3.5%).
Almost 60% of those in Hawaii consider that they are thriving vs. about 45% in West Virginia.
Healthways, a well-being improvement company which sponsors the research, works with people, families, businesses and communities to improve well-being to lower health care costs and improve productivity.
For the well-being index, Gallup conducted phone surveys from a random sample of 1,000 people daily for 350 days a year. People answered questions about their physical health (chronic health conditions, obesity); lifestyle behaviors (smoking, diet and exercise); emotional health (outlook on life, sadness); work environment (enjoying their jobs, relationship with supervisors); basic access (health care, food); and life evaluation (how they rate their lives). The survey measures 50 metrics of overall health and well-being. Gallup then analyzed the results to develop the annual index, which began in 2008.
Residents of the states that are lowest in the rankings tend to be heavier, less active, smoke more and have more medical problems, says Jim Pope, a cardiologist and chief science officer at Healthways.
Some states had dramatic changes in their rankings between 2011 and 2012. North Dakota went from the second position in 2011 to No. 19 in 2012; Alaska went from No. 4 to No. 31; Kansas went from No.7 to No. 17. Meanwhile, Delaware went from No. 47 in 2011 to No. 26 in 2012.
"Delaware made improvements across the board, particularly in emotional health and life evaluation," Pope says.
Overall, "the economic downturn has put a lot of stress on a lot of people," Pope says. "In response, people often adopt unhealthy behaviors that fuel a downward spiral in well-being, all leading to lower productivity and ultimately a higher cost of medical care."
Pope says that states can use this information for a "prescription" on what needs to be changed in their communities. "Some places like Iowa, North Texas and several beach cities in California are already doing this," he says. "Businesses in collaboration with the government are working to create a healthier, more productive workforce to come up with a healthier community and state."
Experts who weren't involved in the index say there are steps people can take to improve their sense of well-being. "We tend to think we won't be happier until big things in our lives change, but research contradicts that," says Joseph Grenny, author of Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success and one of the founders of coachalba.com, a website that helps people succeed in making changes. "Surprisingly, the fastest way to increase your level of happiness is to spend time with a friend, offer service to someone else, take a walk or simply sit and ponder five things you're grateful for. All of these create an immediate shift in your mental state."
Joe Burgo, a psychologist who wrote Why Do I Do That? and the founder of afterpyschotherapy.com, says, "While most of us don't have the option of moving to one of those states that has a higher sense of well-being, we can do what we can to alter our immediate environment to get as close as possible to those conditions. That might involve the company we keep. Do we choose to hang around with people who have healthy lifestyles or do we stick with people who support our bad habits?
"Every state has opportunities for physical exercise, a huge contributor to the sense of well-being. Joining some kind of group whose focus is on physical activity provides us with exercise and also gives us the chance to associate with other people who have healthy lifestyles."
-- Residents of West Virginia reported the worst health habits (high smoking rate, not eating healthy, a disproportionate number of people do not feel well-rested) in 2012 and those living in Vermont reported having the best ones. Residents of many states with poor health habits, including West Virginia and Mississippi, also have high obesity rates.
-- People's views of their jobs/workplaces got worse in 2009 during the recession and haven't recovered yet.
-- Americans' overall health and emotional health have stayed about the same over the past five years. Colorado residents report the best physical health overall in 2012; West Virginia residents report the worst health, just like they've done every year since 2008.
-- Residents of Massachusetts had the best access to basic necessities (such as easy and affordable access to healthy foods, feeling safe when walking alone at night, access to preventative care) in 2012. Mississippi residents had the worst access to basic necessities last year, as they have had every year since 2008.
-- Folks in Texas remain the least likely to have health insurance; those living in Massachusetts are the most likely to have it.
Are you thriving where you live?


Do superstitions actually do any good?
Obviously, crossing your fingers, knocking on wood, stockpiling four-leaf clovers, and avoiding ladders and/or black cats has no effect on the world, tangible or otherwise. But if superstitions are all in our heads, then how do superstitions affect our minds?
You could quite easily build a convincing case for or against the psychological effects of superstitious beliefs and whether those beliefs provide any benefits. On the one hand, superstitions are fundamentally irrational and require turning over some control of our lives over to unseen forces – it's not particularly hard to see how that mindset might translate to reduced performance of tasks and activities.
Then again, you could just as easily argue that believing you've successfully navigated these superstitious influences can provide tremendous confidence. What's more, a belief that you're not totally in control could serve to take the pressure off and relax you, which means you end up performing better than you otherwise would have.
Experiments 1 through 4 show that activating good-luck-related superstitions via a common saying or action (e.g., "break a leg," keeping one's fingers crossed) or a lucky charm improves subsequent performance in golfing, motor dexterity, memory, and anagram games.
Furthermore, Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrate that these performance benefits are produced by changes in perceived self-efficacy. Activating a superstition boosts participants' confidence in mastering upcoming tasks, which in turn improves performance. Finally, Experiment 4 shows that increased task persistence constitutes one means by which self-efficacy, enhanced by superstition, improves performance.
Via NCBI ROFL. Image by cygnus921 on Flickr.


The Motorola Moto Z3 with the aging Snapdragon 835 SoC might be one of the more underwhelming phones released it 2018, but it does support the upcoming 5G Moto Mod. That makes it is the first smart phone on the market that is up-gradable to 5G. So, if you want to be the among the first to enjoy the faster speeds and lower latencies of Verizon 5G this device might be appealing to you. We got a chance to see the Moto Z3 running on the Verizon 5G network at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit and wanted to share with you want we experienced.
Just like other Moto Mods on the market, you simply snap this 5G Moto Mod at the back of the smartphone and you are up and running.
. For the live demonstration, the company had the Moto Z3 with the 5G Moto Mod.. For the live demonstration, the company had the Moto Z3 with the 5G Moto Mod.
Inside the 5G Moto Mod are 10 antenna modules. Four of them are Qualcomm’s QTM052 antenna modules for mmWave functionality, two of them are sub-6 GHz connectivity, and the other four are for LTE service. The Qualcomm QTM052 antennas are spread around the enclosure to ensure that you’ll get good speeds no matter how you are holding it. Motorola placed one front facing, one rear facing and then there are two on the sides of the device to ensure the best beam forming capabilities.
Inside the enclosure we were told by Motorola that there was a Snapdragon 855 SoC and a Snapdragon X50 modem. We thought the Snapdragon X50 modem would be compatible with the Snapdragon 835 SoC that is running inside the Moto Z3, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.
Motorola showed a speed test with 50MB, 250MB, 1GB and 2GB file sizes. While waiting out turn to take pictures and videos we noticed speeds ranging between 16 seconds to 20 seconds with the 1GB file download test. When it was our turn we got a time of 19 seconds.
This was with the 5G tower located in the room about 25 feet away with direct line of site with the back of the phone. Our download speeds were shown to be about 400 Mbps on this application and when we asked where were the 1Gbps speeds that have been touted all day they said it was a limitation of the 5G tower setup in the room. It turns out hat the setup at the hotel conference room has just a single 39GHz millimeter wave 5G network. That means about 100MHz worth of spectrum was being utilized while full 5G tower sites in the wild will have 400MHz to 800MHz of spectrum. So, this demo showed working file transfers on the 5G network, but not on a fully optimized network nor device.
You can see a quick video clip of the 1GB download test in the Tweet we made above. It will be interesting to see how the Motorola ‘Odin’ smartphone performs on the 5G network as this mobile device is expected to be the Motorola Moto Z4 and will use the upcoming flagship with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC.


State-owned oil giant Rosneft and businessman Roman Trotsenko's airport investment company, Novaport, could purchase Moscow's second-largest airport, Domodedovo, Prime reported Monday, citing sources at the airport, Novaport and in the government.
The parties are discussing an acquisition deal worth $4.7 billion. Of this, $2.5 billion concerns Domodedovo's refueling complex, which will be snapped up by Rosneft. The rest of the assets will pass to Novaport, which owns and runs a number of airports in regional Russian cities.
The parties signed a memorandum agreeing the sale two months ago, Itar-Tass reported. An airport industry source told Interfax that the companies are now finalizing the price, the memorandum having been concluded one month ago.
Negotiations over the sale of Domodedovo have been ongoing since shortly after a terrorist incident at the airport in 2011, Prime reported. The government, seeking to place responsibility on the airport's ownership in the aftermath of the incident, found itself unable to identify the beneficiary shareholder.
The name of the owner — Dmitry Kamenshchik, head of East Line Group and owner of a $1 billion fortune — was revealed by Domededovo only in the middle of September 2013. The nudge that facilitated this coming out was the government's decision to make its plans for large-scale investment in the capital's airports contingent on the identification of beneficiary shareholders.


Forbes has named Duke University one of the “Best Employers for Diversity” for 2019.
Duke placed 43 out of 500 companies in the annual ranking, which Forbes released on Tuesday.
Working with online statistics partner Statista, Forbes conducted an independent survey of more than 50,000 employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people within the United States.
A representative sample of the U.S. asked to give their opinion on the topics of age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+ and general diversity concerning their own employer. Forbes also took into consideration the diversity among top executives, evaluations from employees at other companies, the existence of departments and positions responsible for diversity and the communication of diverse company culture.
Forbes recognized Duke last year as a ”Best Employer.” Duke has also earned praise from organizations such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, AARP, NC Nurses Association, DiversityInc and Carolina Parent.
For a look at Forbes’ list, see here.
Got a story idea for Working@Duke? Send us your news.


On the eve of Election Day, 2016, I was run over by a Nissan while crossing the street. The next day, the entire country was run over by a big, orange bus.
Two years later, I’m mostly healed. The country, however, just keeps moving deeper into an intensive care unit staffed with butchers.
Small wounds are being wrenched open; broken legs are treated with hammers. Infections are encouraged to spread their filth. And the big orange bus keeps careening down whatever road meets its need of the moment, running down anyone bold enough to cross its path.
If you’re reading this newspaper, you care enough to support truth and probably have already voted. My request is that you find a friend less likely to vote and invite them to go to the polls with you. Offer them lunch after you’ve each driven a nail into one of the bus’ tires.
Just be sure to look both ways when you cross the street. There are more of those buses than ever, and some may be on your ballot.


Dickens' inspiration in the churchyard at Cooling.
It's to North Kent for Helen this week, to the Hoo Peninsula, fringed by the Thames to the north and the Medway to the south - an area shortlisted by the government for airport development. While supporters of the plan say it will bring jobs and money to the area, Helen hears the local voices raised in opposition to the very idea of an airport, and finds out which weapons are being used to drive home the 'No Airport at Cliffe' message.
She begins her visit standing in the churchyard which inspired the opening of Great Expectations - St James, in the village of Cooling. Dickens lived nearby and was very familiar with the marshlands of the peninsula - and his association with the area is proving to be useful ammunition for local people fighting proposals to build an airport there. To some eyes, it's a bleak landscape, to others, a beautiful one. Amongst the latter is Jeremy Clarke, for whom the countryside - a series of "horizontal lines", in Dickens words - is inextricably linked with the author and his characters.
But it's not just people who love Dickens who see the value of his connections with the Hoo Peninsula. Diana Barker (who herself finds Dickens a bit 'wordy') is a member of the Dickens' Country Protection Society, founded thirty years ago to fight plans for an oil terminal in this part of Kent. That scheme was thrown out, and Diana says that the society members had assumed that the area was now safe from development - until, that is, they heard that it was on the government shortlist for airport construction. Now they are mobilising protest against the plans by reminding the world of the area's literary connections.
Alan Parker has worked in the area for twenty three years. He's based at the Northward Hill RSPB reserve, from where Helen gets a panoramic view of the marshland. Woodland nearby is home to Britain's largest heronry - woodland which would be destroyed by the potential airport development. Little egrets, too, make their home there, and Alan finds it ironic which the bird which first inspired the founding of the RSPB should be threatened by these plans. Alan says the 'footprint' of any new airport on the site would have wide-reaching implications for birdlife on the Thames and Medway estuaries.
Any resident of the Hoo Peninsula in the late eighteenth century and well into the nineteenth would have been familiar with the prison hulks, former warships used to incarcerate some of England's rapidly increasing number of prisoners. Stephen Nye, of the Guildhall Museum in Rochester, where a hulk has been recreated, tells Helen how the ships were crammed full, the conditions so terrible that there was not even enough oxygen to sustain a candle flame in the depths of the sleeping quarters. Dickens himself would have seen the ships from the shore - although some people were keen to get a better view, and parties of sightseers would be ferried out to sail round the hulks and see the prisons close up.
Finally to a real wreck, that of a ship rotting on the banks of the Thames near Cliffe. It's a sight which helped inspire photographer Denis and writer Priscilla Waugh to work on their book Searching The Thames - and it has an important place in their personal history, too. Arriving by ship at Tilbury more than thirty years ago, coming from their native New Zealand for what they thought would be a short trip to England, gave them their first glimpse of this flat, wide-skied landscape which they now love and which they say, as outsiders, they may well appreciate more than many people who have known it all their lives.


At Briarwood Christian High School, the boys’ bathrooms smell like blueberries. Many of the Birmingham, Ala., school’s students have taken up electronic cigarettes, which come in a variety of fruity flavors, and they decamp to the restroom to get their necessary nicotine hit between classes. Emphasis on the electronic here–Molly Lattner, a 17-year-old senior at Briarwood, says she’s never seen a person her age smoking a regular tobacco cigarette.
It’s a classic form of youthful rebellion with a modern twist, and in many ways it encapsulates how the teens today are not so different from the ones profiled by TIME in a 1965 cover story on the state of American teenagers. They’re still looking for ways to assert their individual identities, but it might happen on Snapchat instead of in the class yearbook. They’re still anxious about college, but they may be applying to five schools instead of one.
This new generation has been shaped by the events of the no-longer-new millennium. The youngest teenagers were not alive on September 11, 2001. They don’t remember when Barack Obama declared a post-racial America four years before becoming the first black President. They didn’t know what was going on during the 2008 financial crisis, though even today they’re aware that finding a job is tougher than it used to be. And, despite being dismissed as self-absorbed by some (including within their own ranks), they’re more aware of the social and political issues afflicting our nation than some adults give them credit for.
It’s harder to be a teen now than it was in 1965—at least according to teenagers. That’s not in spite of the Internet and the iPhone. It’s because of all the technology that surrounds us.
There’s also the anxiety of having the most experimental years of their lives documented online for all to see. They know that mistakes can live forever on the Internet. That mentality helps explain why they’re leading the adoption of a new wave of anonymous and private communications platforms, such as Snapchat, YikYak and GroupMe. None of them makes phone calls anymore, unless it’s an urgent matter. “I don’t even know how to check my voicemail,” says Lukas Castellanos, an 18-year-old at Briarwood who performs theater.
Judged for your skin color.
Though today’s youngest teens barely remember a time before the U.S. had a black president, ongoing racial tensions are still evident to many of them. “You’re constantly being judged for, like, absurd things–your skin color, how you dress,” 13-year old Dayahna Camacho says of life in Montbello, a mostly black and Hispanic neighborhood in Denver. She attends a charter school called STRIVE Preparatory in the city.
Though the segregation described in 1965 is supposed to be a thing of the past, some teens say their perception of racial progress changed following the lack of indictments for police officers involved in the killings of two black men, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, in 2014. “Before I was kind of aloof to it,” says Lonnie Hancock, a 16-year-old at East Side. “Now I feel like it kind of is more in your face that things aren’t exactly O.K.” At his school, students left their classrooms in Manhattan one day in December to march in protest of the justice system’s handling of the Garner case. It didn’t go unnoticed that the event sounded like something they might have learned in history class.
Teens are still experimenting with new substances, but their preferences have changed. Alcohol use by teens has declined since the 1970s; about 70% of 12th graders in 1975 said they’d drunk alcohol within the last 30 days, but that percentage dropped below 40% in 2014, according to the annual Monitoring the Future study conducted by the University of Michigan.
Instead, electronic cigarettes are the newest teen obsession. CDC research shows that in 2013, 4.5% of high students reported using e-cigarettes. At schools like Briarwood, the figure is much higher—and it’s helped by e-cigs’ lack of pungent tobacco odor. Though some teens say their parents are their best friends, they still don’t want their folks to know everything they’re up to.
Today’s teens are coming of age in the shadow of the largest financial calamity since the Great Depression. College tuition, room and board has increased more than tenfold since 1965, according to the Department of Education. And, after remaining relatively stable in the 1960’s, the income gap between the wealthiest 1% of Americans and everyone else has been growing for three decades is now is the largest it’s been since 1928, according to a University of California-Berkley researcher.
None of these kids know what will come ahead—but, as 50 years of history have shown, that’s part of being a teenager. They’ll enter adulthood under a new President and assume jobs that don’t yet exist. They’ll carry gadgets we haven’t even dreamed up and deal with social problems that haven’t yet broken into the mainstream. They’re going to figure out the future because they have no other choice.


There is a tried-and-true Jewish method in Europe to garner instant media coverage and awards of recognition: Scream the trendy anti-Israeli slogans equating the Jewish state with Nazi Germany and the former apartheid regime in South Africa, while highlighting one's background as a Holocaust survivor. According to seasoned media observers in Germany, the formula of Shoah survivor coupled with anti-Israeli activism helps to explain the public relations coup of Hedy Epstein, an anti-Zionist 85-year-old German Jew who fled the Nazis in 1939, and is now promoting her hunger strike in Egypt to advance the so-called "Free Gaza Movement." Epstein declared her hunger strike on Monday, as part of a campaign involving 1,400 activists from 42 countries in Egypt hoping to enter Gaza, in a bid to compel Israel to end its restrictions on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. She has attracted widespread press coverage in Europe. Prompting the activists, many of whom are from organizations affiliated with Hamas, to march into Gaza, is the one-year anniversary of the start of Operation Cast Lead to stop Hamas rocket attacks on Israel's southern periphery. The European laws of supply and demand (similar ones apply on many American college campuses) show an endless demand for Jewish senior citizens willing to invoke anti-Israeli language that meets the definitions of contemporary anti-Semitism. According to a Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs report, Epstein had "compared Israel to a Nazi state and Israeli soldiers to Nazis" during a lecture at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Writing this past week from Beirut, the liberal Huffington Post site reported that Epstein said, "The issue for Israeli Jews and the American Jewish community is the Holocaust, and everything is due to the Holocaust. But Israel is not being persecuted now. Israel is the persecutor." The US State Department and the European Union both define parallels between Nazi Germany and Israel as a form of modern anti-Semitism. To circumvent the unsavory Nazi-equals-Israel comparison, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli groups in Europe frequently outsource the new anti-Semitism to a minuscule group of anti-Zionist Jews who seek to strip Israel's legitimacy as a nation. A Holocaust survivor as spokesperson helps to insulate the "Free Gaza Movement" from charges of anti-Semitism. The problem, however, for the anti-Zionist market is more a question of supply than demand. The fringe group of anti-Zionist Jews who fled the Hitler movement or survived the extermination camps are passing out of existence because of their age. Within the European Union, anti-Zionist Holocaust survivors hold enormous media and political currency. Telling examples are the 85-year-old Hajo Meyer, who argues that "the earliest cause for anti-Semitism is situated in Jewry," and equates IDF checkpoints with Nazi actions. German President Horst KÃ¶hler last year awarded his country's most important award, the Federal Cross of Merit, to 80-year-old hard-core anti-Zionist attorney Felicia Langer, a dual German-Israeli citizen who is widely sought as a lecturer in Germany and Austria because of her Israel-equals-apartheid views. German critics argue that anti-Zionist Jews such as Epstein, Langer and Meyer have cornered the European media and speaking-tour markets because they sanitize guilt in countries which are plagued by their complicity during the Holocaust. Epstein contributes, according to the social-psychology of post-Holocaust anti-Semitism, to depicting Israelis as the new Nazis and Palestinians as the new European Jews. The cottage industry of anti-Zionist Jews pushing, wittingly or unwittingly, a modern anti-Semitic agenda serves to cleanse the guilt pangs of a non-Jewish audience and turn Israel's democracy into a pariah state. The "Gaza Freedom March" Web site in Switzerland wrote that in contrast to most Holocaust survivors, "Hedy Epstein is an advocate for the Palestinians." The Shoah as a cynical form of moral shock therapy for Diaspora Jewry and Israelis remains a ubiquitous bully club to pit a clique of anti-Israeli Jews against the mainstream European Jewish community. Epstein told The Jerusalem Post last week that "when people are suffering it comes upon the rest of us to do whatever we can." The pressing question for the critics of Epstein's human rights activism is, why are she and other activists not engaging in a hunger strike for persecuted Iranians risking their lives for democracy on the streets of the Islamic Republic? Where are the hunger strikes opposing the Islamist Sudanese government-sponsored genocide against its black population in the Darfur region? The media appeal of catapulting Epstein into a poster girl for criticizing Israel's right to self-defense in Gaza resonates with a European audience starved for moral exoneration because of its complicity in the crimes of the Holocaust.


The global anti-Uber alliance is growing.
Today US-based Lyft said it was allying itself with Asia-based ride-hailing companies Didi Kuaidi, GrabTaxi, and Ola. Together, the alliance will reach nearly 50 percent of the world’s population, Lyft said.
"We’re excited to join with Didi, Grab, and Ola to make global travel simpler for passengers," Lyft co-founder and president John Zimmer said. "This isn’t solely a partnership of four companies, but also an opportunity to have a greater impact on the future of our cities worldwide."
Ola is the leading ride-hail company in India. GrabTaxi, meanwhile, offers services in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Each of the companies says it receives more than a million booking requests a day. Together, they make a seemingly formidable force. Each provides the other an apparently easy way to make inroads in new countries where a preferred service already exists, and quickly achieve scale.
In doing so, the alliance would also seem to help these startups go up against the global juggernaut that is Uber. The world's largest ride-hailing company operates in 67 countries, and it’s still growing at a rapid clip thanks to billions in funding from optimistic investors.
Though no financial details have been divulged in the announcement, the companies revealed their plan to leverage the partnership in other ways. Joint partner products—which might include courier services, food delivery, and other logistics services—will start rolling out in the first quarter of 2016, the group said.


Tennessee’s massive automotive industry is at the center of a Washington drama playing out over the nation’s $200 billion worth of auto-related imports.
Sen. Lamar Alexander unveiled a bipartisan bill Wednesday in his effort to fend off a proposed federal tax known as a tariff on imports of vehicles and auto parts.
Sen. Bob Corker earlier signed on to a separate proposal meant to push back against tariffs the White House says can lift the nation’s manufacturing industry.
Both of the Tennessee Republicans have sided with automotive executives who contend President Donald Trump’s plan to curtail imports as a national security measure would trigger manufacturing layoffs.
Trump has proposed a 25 percent tax on vehicles and auto parts entering the United States.
Alexander and Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, together introduced the Automotive Jobs Act of 2018. It would require a comprehensive study of the U.S. auto industry's vitality before tariffs were applied.
Trump did not immediately respond to the action.
In Washington, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an array of industry leaders have urged Trump to back off on tariffs. The Chamber contends Trump could spark a trade war.
But some manufacturing analysts say the president’s efforts haven’t derailed the nation’s industrial base.
Alan Tonelson, an independent Washington economist who formerly worked with the U.S. Business & Industry Council, a trade group for small manufacturers, said the earlier round of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum has not yet damaged the American industry.
“There’s no statistical evidence to date that the metals tariffs, many of which have been in effect since late March, have harmed upstream industries, and plenty of statistical evidence that these metals consumers have been faring just fine,” Tonelson wrote last week.
Rather than resort to U.S. tariffs, Tonelson called for a reworking of the NAFTA trade accord with Canada and Mexico to impose strong tariffs on imports on a wide range of manufactured goods into North America.
Alexander’s measure with Jones would act like a kind of timeout in the tariff disputes. Alexander described the bill as a way to give the president a second opinion on tariffs.
The proposal would require the U.S. International Trade Commission study the impact of the tariffs on the nation’s automotive industry and provide the results to the White House.
The measure Corker backed would require congressional approval of the designated tariffs.
Both senators aim to preserve an automotive sector that employs more than 50,000 workers on vehicle assembly lines and in auto-parts plants and provides $12 billion in annual Tennessee tax revenue.
After the White House outlined the auto tariff proposal earlier this summer, manufacturing trade groups insisted the tariffs would thwart the U.S. economy.
The Center for Automotive Research, a think tank located near Detroit, figures only 52 percent of the cars sold nationwide last year were assembled in the United States. Most of those autos contained some imported parts.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a think tank at Washington, estimates the 25 percent tariff on imported cars, trucks and auto parts would raise sticker prices at least $1,400 for the least expensive models and up to $7,000 for high-end imports.
Peterson economists predict the network of tariffs imposed already and proposed by Trump could cost 600,000 U.S. jobs.


Newly renovated and mint condition, high floor, large one bedroom residence located in the heart of Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side. Featuring a modern kitchen and a beautiful Calcutta gold marble bathroom, this spacious apartment is a perfect place to call home. Just steps away from Lincoln Center, the residence features a large living room as well as a separate area for dining. Facing south and west, the apartment gets an abundance of natural light and has great storage space throughout plus a stackable washer/dryer in-unit. This full service building is pet-friendly and has a very high tax deductibility of 72%. The building offers a live-in resident manager, 24-hour doorman, and porter staff. There is a gorgeous, newly renovated 360 degree large terrace (with city/river views), storage units available for rent, bike storage, and an additional laundry facility with commercial sized washer/dryers. The building is located in prime UWS; just a few short blocks from the 1/2/3/B/C trains, cross town buses, Central Park, Riverside Park, Trader Joe's, Fairway, and all the great shops, restaurants, fitness options you can imagine). Pied a terres, guarantors, and gifting are all considered on a case by case basis.


The “shoppable windows” will enable people to buy products and have them delivered within an hour.
eBay is launching four 24-hour interactive storefronts in Manhattan this weekend with its partners at Kate Spade on Saturday. They will enable shoppers to browse and order merchandise from Kate Spade’s new weekender line on a touchscreen, appearing on the windows of closed retail locations.
Shoppers will be able to schedule free one-hour delivery to anywhere in NYC and pay with PayPal Here upon delivery. This shopping innovation brings the best of online shopping into the physical world, rolling mobile technology, same-day delivery, and digital payments into one end-to-end customer experience.


Alia Bhatt's most expensive possessions!
Sidharth Malhotra gets a marriage proposal, but not from Alia Bhatt!
Bollynews Fatafat: Alia Bhatt discloses about her break-up!


VLC can play various media formats within PowerPoint.
The VLC media player includes an ActiveX control that you can embed into your PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint natively supports certain video and audio formats, but VLC can play many other formats that PowerPoint cannot, including the FLV video format. With the VLC ActiveX control, you can add more uncommon video and audio formats to your business presentations without converting them into other media formats. The video can be set to play automatically or play when you click it.
Install VLC on your computer. Make sure that the ActiveX Plugin check box is enabled during installation. If this option wasn’t selected when VLC was installed, the VLC ActiveX Control will not be available in PowerPoint.
Launch PowerPoint, click the “File” menu and select “Options” to open the Options window.
Open a presentation in PowerPoint and navigate to the slide in which you want to insert the VLC player.
Click the “Developer” tab on the ribbon and click the “More Controls” button at the bottom right corner of the Controls section on the ribbon.
Place the VLC control onto the slide by clicking and dragging with your mouse cursor.
Right-click on the VLC control and select “Properties” to customize it.
Enter the file name of the video you want to play in the MRL field. For example, if you want to play a file named example.flv, type “example.flv” without quotes into the field. The video file and PowerPoint file must be located in the same folder.
Customize the control by adjusting the other options in the properties window. For example, you can set the AutoPlay option to “True” or “False” to control whether or not the video automatically starts playing during presentations.
VLC and its ActiveX control must be installed on the computer that you use to give the presentation. If you load your PowerPoint file on a computer that doesn’t have VLC installed, you won’t see the control.
Hoffman, Chris. "How to Insert a VLC Player Into PowerPoint." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/insert-vlc-player-powerpoint-40733.html. Accessed 21 April 2019.


Minister of Labour and Social Security Shahine Robinson (second left) and permanent secretary in the ministry, Colette Roberts Risden (second right), assist parent Jody Thomas with placing her son, David Forrest, behind his new special-needs walker on Tuesday at the Early Stimulation Programme’s offices in downtown Kingston. Sharing the moment is Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of Japan Shinichi Yamanaka.
Eighty special-needs children have been given equipment to deal with their circumstance by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in partnership with the World Bank and the Japanese Embassy.
The handover of wheelchairs, hearing aids and walkers to parents and guardians took place at the Early Stimulation Programme location on Hanover Street in downtown Kingston on Tuesday.
Minister of Labour and Social Security Shahine Robinson said the assistive aids will go a far way in allowing the recipients and their parents to focus on their abilities.
“Our goal as a country is to empower persons with disabilities and to have that inclusive society for all,” she said.
The minister also thanked the partners for offering assistance. “Allow me to place on record, on behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, sincere appreciation to the World Bank and the government and people of Japan for their unwavering support for social-protection programmes,” she added.
For his part, Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of Japan, Shinichi Yamanaka, said his country is pleased to have donated towards children living with special needs in Jamaica.
“The government of Japan proudly supports the highly important matter of social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities, especially the most vulnerable, children with special needs who require assisted technologies, manipulative and other critical resources that allow them to develop their skills and abilities,” Yamanaka said.
“Japan shares the same idea and vision with the Government of Jamaica for the inclusion of persons with disabilities,” he added.
Meanwhile, Antonica Gunter Gayle, director, Early Stimulation Plus, expressed gratitude on behalf of the students and parents who received the equipment.
“It’s not just about assisting a child. It’s not just about mobility. For me, it (the donation) is about equality. It is about opportunity. It is about the quality of life. It is about inclusion, and it’s about changing lives. Seeing our children being given this assistance gives me a really good feeling,” she said.
Cecile Johnson, who accompanied her grandchild who is living with cerebral palsy, said she is extremely grateful for the new wheelchair that she received.
“It will assist my granddaughter to sit up, and while going to school, it’s a special chair that allows her to sit up [in class] because she can’t sit up by herself. The seat has braces, including one for her head,” she said.
Parent André Forrester, who also has a son living with cerebral palsy, said he, too, was after receiving a walker.
“The walker will help with his mobility, and that will help him to explore. It should also get him more interested in stuff and will help with his entire learning process, just by increasing his mobility,” Forrester said.
Since its inception in 1975, the Early Stimulation Programme has been transforming lives and making the future brighter for youngsters living with varying types of developmental disabilities.


Graduating students Jessica Meurs, left, and Toquyen Truong hold brightly-colored signs while walking to their seats.
Graduating students yell to their friends and families.
Masters students receive their degrees.
Doctoral students prepare to enter the stage to receive their diplomas during the University of Washington's 134th Commencement Ceremony at Husky Stadium in Seattle on Saturday.
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates gives his commencement speech.
Graduating students try to find friends and family in the stands.
UW President Mark Emmert shakes hands with an undergraduate student.
A balloon reflects an image of Husky Stadium.
Graduating students walk into Husky Stadium to their seats.
Members of the audience watch the ceremony.
Members of the audience snap photographs of friends and family members.
UW President Mark Emmert speaks.
Joe Darda leads his peers to their seats.
Graduating students wait in the hot sun.


"Their actions were not only reprehensible but in violation of federal law," said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Chadwick.
Four members of a militant white supremacist group who engaged in "street battle" at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last year were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the violent marches, according to federal prosecutors.
The men, all part of the Rise Above Movement, or RAM, according to a criminal complaint, who flew from California to Virginia to take part in the rally, "assaulted an African-American man, two females and a minister wearing a clerical collar," among others, said the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Thomas T. Cullen.
The four men — Benjamin Daley, 25, and Thomas Gillen, 34, both of Redondo Beach, California; Michael Miselis, 29, of Lawndale, California; and Cole White, 24, of Clayton, California — have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the federal riots statute and one count of violating the statute.
"Their actions were not only reprehensible but in violation of federal law," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Chadwick said.
"Daley, Miselis, Gillen and White, while on their way to the Unite the Right rally in Emancipation Park, and with their hands taped ready to do street battle, committed multiple acts of violence including punching, kicking, head-butting and pushing numerous people," said Cullen about their alleged involvement in the Unite the Right rally in downtown Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, where one person was killed.
An "incredible volume of digital evidence" helped federal prosecutors identify and charge the four men, Cullen said.
Cullen said the men had participated in acts of violence in rallies in California, and said those acts are included in their criminal complaint.
Each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of both charges.
RAM is a Southern California-based white supremacist group with approximately 50 members and a stated intention of physically fighting those who go against its ideology, according to ProPublica.
Cullen said the four men were arrested by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California and will appear in court in Los Angeles before a decision on bond is made. Their cases will then be transferred to Virginia, Cullen said.
It was not immediately clear if any of the four men had an attorney, and NBC News was unable to immediately contact them for comment.
The new charges were not related to the death of Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car drove into a crowd of protesters.
The Justice Department charged the man accused of driving the car, James Alex Fields Jr., 21, of Maumee, Ohio, with 30 crimes, including one count of a hate crime resulting in the death of Heyer, and 28 hate crimes involving an attempt to kill people.
The marches last year were marked by violent clashes between the white nationalists, Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis attending the Unite the Right rallies and counterprotesters.
President Donald Trump added to the controversy after he took 48 hours to respond to the rallies, then saying that there was blame to be shared by "both sides" and that it was unfair to suggest that all the torch-wielding marchers at the rally were Nazis or white supremacists.
"You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent,” Trump said. “I think there is blame on both sides."
CORRECTION (Oct. 2, 2018, 4:05 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misattributed a quote about the suspects’ actions. It was said by FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Chadwick, not U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Thomas T. Cullen.


SALT LAKE CITY — A group of people broke into a Salt Lake City home late Wednesday night and one of them attacked a man with a baseball bat, according to police.
An SLCPD representative said the home invasion occurred near 1100 S Glendale Dr. and was first reported at about 10 p.m.
Police said the suspects took cellphones and other items during the break-in.
The suspects wore hoodies and masks during the incident, according to a description given by police.
The victim's condition is unknown.
Watch FOX 13 for updates.


Can Breshad Perriman replace Torrey Smith in the Ravens' offense?
After weeks of insisting that they didn’t feel pressure to add a wide receiver, the Ravens couldn’t resist adding another target for quarterback Joe Flacco.
Ten years since last picking a wide receiver in the first round of the NFl draft, the Ravens used the 26th pick on Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman, considered one of the fastest players in the draft.
Perriman, 21, didn’t work out at the NFL scouting combine because of a hamstring injury, but he ran a 4.22 in the 40-yard-dash during his pro day. That elevated his draft status to the point where it wasn’t clear if Perriman would even be available when the Ravens were on the clock.
Perriman worked out with the Ravens before the draft and called it his best visit with an NFL team.
Perriman certainly adds much-needed outside speed to a team that lost Torrey Smith (San Francisco 49ers) and Jacoby Jones (San Diego Chargers) this offseason and has just one returning receiver, Steve Smith, who had more than 25 catches last year.
The son of Brett Perriman, who played receiver in the NFL for a decade, Breshad is the first receiver that the Ravens have drafted in the first round since Mark Clayton in 2005. He’s also the first offensive player that they’ve taken with their first pick since tackle Michael Oher in 2009.
Newsome said that if Perriman wasn’t available, the Ravens would have probably traded back or out of the first round altogether. Several other players that the Ravens were targeting had already been taken, as the San Diego Chargers selected Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon with the 15th pick, the Houston Texans grabbed Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson at 16 and the Kansas City Chiefs took Washington cornerback Marcus Peters at 18.
For all their drafting success, the Ravens have struggled to develop pass catchers and Yamon Figurs, a third-rounder in 2007, and Torrey Smith, a second-rounder in 2011, are the only receivers that they’ve drafted within the first three rounds since 2005. Smith is viewed as one of their only homegrown wide receiver success stories. But team officials are obviously confident that Perriman will change that script and be a difference maker.
He joins a receiving corps that has plenty of possession receivers in Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and Michael Campanaro (River Hill), but lacks a legitimate deep threat after Torrey Smith’s departure. That was an issue given Flacco’s reputation as one of the league’s best deep-ball throwers and new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman’s desire to develop a dynamic downfield passing attack.
Perriman, a Georgia native, caught 115 passes for 2,243 yards and 16 touchdowns in three seasons at Central Florida before declaring for the draft following his junior year. He caught four touchdowns and averaged 20.8 yards per reception in his sophomore year, but emerged as a strong NFL prospect last season with 50 catches for 1,044 yards and nine scores.
At 6 feet 2 and 212 pounds, Perriman has all the attributes of the game-breaking wide receivers that are so in demand in today’s NFL. His speed helps him get behind the defense and his size and strength allow him to shed cornerbacks and make plays on the ball. He’s not exclusively a deep threat, but he does the most damage on the outside and working in the red zone.
Perriman, who took part in the U.S. Junior Olympics track and field program, has top-end straight line speed. However, he’s also shown plenty of explosiveness and quickness getting in and out of breaks, and gaining separation on underneath routes. He also gets high marks with his downfield blocking and his ability to run after the catch.
If there’s a knock on Perriman, it’s that he has lost his focus at times and dropped some routine passes.
The Ravens were impressed with Perriman’s candor during his predraft visit. He acknowledged that his issues with drops were a result of lapses of concentration.
After having filled one of their biggest needs with an outside receiver, the Ravens can now turn their attention to their other roster holes. The Ravens would like to come out of the draft with another cornerback, running back and pass rusher.
The Ravens have nine more picks: one each in the second, third and sixth rounds, and three each in the fourth and fifth rounds. Rounds two and three will begin Friday night at 7 p.m. The draft will then wrap up with rounds four through seven on Saturday, starting at noon.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Yamon Figurs as a third-round pick in 2011. He was a third-round pick in 2007.
College highlights: Earned first-team All-America Athletic Conference honors as a junior with 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns on 50 receptions. … Went over 100 yards in two of his final three college games. … Emerged as a starter as a sophomore, when he caught 39 passes for 811 yards and four touchdowns.
Personal: Son of 10-year NFL wide receiver Brett Perriman. … Ran track in high school, and was a two-star recruit out of Arabia Mountain High in Georgia.
Analysis: Perriman had drop issues at the end of his time at UCF, but has the chance to develop into the same type of player Torrey Smith was — or better. Young wide receivers have made an incredible impact in the game recently. For Perriman to be that for the Ravens would be a boon.


She's a favorite of the under 20 set.
But Bella Thorne fans won't see the actress/singer on the red carpet of the Teen Choice Awards Sunday.
The Famous In Love starlet, 20, revealed some weeks ago that she was 'boycotting' the ceremony at The Forum in Inglewood, California calling the event 'gross' and 'rigged' on social media.
Back on July 24, the former Disney darling tweeted her disdain for the Teen Choice Awards.
'Teen choice is gross,' she tweeted wrote.
She took particular issue with the 'Choice hottie' categories for being shallow.
'Vote for the hottest is so gross How about smartest? Or a charity category? How about we hype people up for doing good things not being hot,' she added.
Though she won't be in attendance Thorne could still take home several trophies.
She's nominated for Choice TV Actress: Drama/Action Adventure for Famous In Love, Choice Movie Actress: Drama for Midnight Sun, and Choice Movie Ship with Patrick Schwarzenegger for Midnight Sun.
Before this Bella was somewhat of a regular at the event, nominated for eight awards since 2014.
Currently the multi-hyphenate has been focusing her efforts on music, releasing a raunchy video for her track P**** Mine earlier this month and set for her first festival performance at Billboard Hot 100 festival August 18 and 19.
She'll also appear in the upcoming action-thriller Assassination Nation, set for theaters September 21.


When you're feeling crabby, nothing can compare to pulling a trap filled with Dungeness crabs up from the briny deep — unless it's breaking open a steaming hot, just-cooked crab, dipping it in buttery lemon-garlic sauce and devouring it.
Crabbing is one of the charms of the Oregon coast, a place as well known for its seafood as for its surf and sand. You can fish almost anywhere. Or you can get down and dirty and play in the mud; a shovelful can hold clams, shrimp and other tasty surprises.
I visited Oregon last month, driving the dramatic Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, U.S. 101, with my friend Wendi, who not only loves fresh fish but also owns a seafood restaurant and fish market in Los Alamitos. I wanted to see great scenery; she wanted to check out great seafood at its source. Both were easy tasks on the Oregon coast.
First, we learned that all the cool kids call it the Coast. Not the Beach, as we do in California. Oregonians will know you're a tourist if you call it the beach.
We flew into Portland and hit the road, driving southwest on Oregon 18 for a couple of hours until it intersected with U.S. 101 near Lincoln City.
The 101, we quickly found, is a stunner. Its 363 miles along the sea stretches from the Columbia River in the north to the California state line in the south, passing headlands and giant sand dunes, lighthouses and fishing villages.
Don’t go that way if you're in a hurry. There are too many tantalizing vista points, too many amazing state parks (more than two dozen) and too many poky drivers ogling the scenery.
Oregon residents claim this is the best stretch of road along the Pacific coast. I don't want to bicker, but California 1 through Big Sur is fantastic too. I will admit that Oregon's favorite highway offers an epic drive. And an epic place to play in the mud.
There's something therapeutic about stomping around in big boots and digging holes in squishy mud. Scientists say playing in the mud has lots of pluses: It helps increase brain and physical activity and reduces susceptibility to depression and allergens. Of course, these studies focus on why it's good for kids, not adults. But we're all just big kids, right?
Digging for clams in Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, Ore.
We were pretty happy slogging around on the tidal plain and managed to capture two dozen clams, but the tide was turning, so we donated our catch to another clam digger and moved on.
All that digging had made us hungry. After washing off the mud, we headed south on the 101 to Newport, which dates to 1864 and is one of Oregon's most popular coastal towns.
Newport is home to the state's largest fishing fleet, two lighthouses, lots of shops and things to do, and some great seafood restaurants.
Wendi wanted to try Laura Anderson’s popular Local Ocean Seafoods, known for its flavorful fresh fish. We sat at a counter overlooking the open kitchen and dished with chef Enrique Sanchez-Rodriguez as he put the finishing touches on an elegantly plated tuna mignon made with albacore ($25).
My friend talked shop and invited the chef to visit her restaurant. He told her Local Ocean's key to success is its location across the street from the fishing fleet. "They catch it in the morning, you eat it for dinner that night," he said.
Traveling with a restaurateur has its benefits: You always eat well.
We turned north and hopscotched our way along Oregon’s central coast, backtracking now and then to talk to seafood distributors and to check out the sights, including Oswald West State Park, where the rainforest meets the surf.
The park, considered one of the system's most spectacular, is named for late Oregon Gov. Oswald West. From the parking lot, it's a quarter-mile hike through a forest to the summit and an outstanding view of the Pacific and Short Sand Beach. You might want to stay all day: The beach is in a tranquil cove that makes it seems private, despite the boogie boarders and surfers you might encounter.
Ten miles north of Oswald, we stopped to visit picturesque Cannon Beach, a fun place to shop and walk. The town is sort of a Laguna Beach North, with lots of galleries and an arty feel.
It’s also known for Haystack Rock, which towers 235 feet above the water, and Ecola State Park, which offers panoramic coastal views from its perch at the edge of a headland. Cannon is a 90-minute drive from Portland, making it an easy choice for California visitors who are short on time.
We saved our most interesting experience — Dungeness crabbing — for last. You can catch crabs in Oregon from a pier or from a boat. We decided to try crabbing from a dory, a small, flat-bottomed craft that is launched from shore. Exciting and pricey, like most fishing trips: $200 a person.
It sounded like fun when I planned it. But when we arrived in Pacific City, home of the dory fleet, the waves seemed enormous and the dories seemed tiny.
I tried not to think about the adventure, scheduled for the next day. Thankfully, there was a lot going on in Pacific Beach, which proved to be a wonderland of activities.
People were walking on the beach, playing in the surf and flying kites. But mostly they were watching cars that were being driven up and down the beach.
They would get stuck in the sand, so there were always guys pushing cars, attaching chains to axles, letting air out of tires. I was told people visit this beach just to watch these vehicle follies.
But there are a lot of other things to do too. Pacific City is adjacent to Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, where the Great Dune awaits those hardy enough to climb this massive hill of mudstone cloaked in drifting sand. And in the bay is another Haystack Rock, a classic basalt sea stack.
Soon we were in calm waters and headed to one of Hay's crab pots. A large cache of the shellfish appeared when the trap was raised, garnering a cheer from the four passengers. Hay and a crew member sorted the crabs, throwing back the small ones. We headed for shore, detouring to say hello to a gray whale that appeared near the boat.
A crab feast at the captain's nearby home was the high point of our outing. Within two hours we were cracking and eating incredible Dungeness crabs.
"They're so fresh," Wendi said. "You can't help but love this."
Ben Jacobsen knows a lot about the salt of the earth. As a matter of fact, he’s made a business out of it.
Jacobsen Salt Co., one of the few companies producing gourmet salt in the U.S., hand harvests its product from the cold, pristine waters of Netarts Bay on the Oregon coast.
Although travelers can't tour the salt works, they can get a look at them and taste the various salts at the company store in Tillamook or at the main office in Portland.
"We're the first to harvest salt in the Northwest since [Meriwether] Lewis and [William] Clark," said Jacobsen, referring to the 1804-06 expedition that explored the Pacific Northwest.
"Netarts Bay water is exceptionally clean and briny. I think it's arguably the cleanest bay on the West Coast,” he said.
Jacobsen's salt is different from the kind you find in most shakers. It's classic flake finishing salt, the kind chefs and gourmet cooks use.
The company also produces kosher sea salt and grinding salt and makes a line of tasty infused salts that include white truffle, rosemary, lemon zest, Pinot Noir and Stumptown Coffee.
And it makes a line of salty confections — Salty Black Licorice, Salty Caramels, Salty Honey Nut Chews and Salty Maple Chews.
Info: You can purchase the salt at Jacobsen Salt, at its Portland or Tillamook stores, or at Williams-Sonoma stores, Whole Foods markets and specialty shops.
From LAX, Delta, American, Alaska and Southwest offer nonstop service to Portland, Ore., and United, Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American and Frontier offer connecting service (change of planes). Restricted round-trip fares from $178. From Portland, drive southwest on Oregon 18 to U.S. 101.
Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa, 33000 Cape Kiwanda Drive, Pacific City, Ore., (503) 483-3000. Charming, new, ocean-view resort with excellent views of Pacific City's Haystack Rock. Cozy lobby, fine-dining restaurant, 33 rooms and 18 cottages. Doubles from $310 a night.
Stephanie Inn, 2740 S Pacific St., Cannon Beach, Ore.; (844) 374-2107. Beachfront resort with fireplaces and wrap-around verandas. Popular choice in one of Oregon's favorite coastal towns. Doubles from $289 a night.
Salishan Resort, 7760 U.S.101, Gleneden Beach, Ore.; (800) 452-2300. Family activities, including golf course, tennis center and spa are available at this 205-room central Oregon coast hotel. Most accommodations include fireplaces and decks. Doubles from $126 a night.
Local Ocean Seafoods, 213 S.E. Bay Blvd., Newport, Ore.; (541) 574-7959. Check out this Oregon favorite where fresh crab and other seafood dominate the menu. Expect a long line. Entrees $8.50 to $32.
Side Door Cafe, 6675 Gleneden Beach Loop, Gleneden Beach, Ore.; (541) 764-3825. Small, converted warehouse is so popular that aficionados fly here from Portland for lunch. (It's called the “$100 Hamburger.”) Soups, salads and sandwiches at lunch, when prices start at $8.50 Try the bay shrimp melt, $13.50.
Pelican Brewing Co., 33180 Cape Kiwanda Drive, Pacific City, Ore.; (503) 965-7007. At first people came for the beer, now they come for the food — and the beer. Beachfront brewpub is a great spot to watch surfers, fishermen and giant Haystack Rock. Soups, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, burgers. Most entrees less than $20.


The Heritage Academy girls basketball team used its full-court press for two minutes Tuesday night - the final two minutes of the first half against Grace Academy.
That was enough for the Eagles to force five turnovers and rip off a 10-0 run to end the half with a 25-8 lead before coasting to a 50-35 victory in the Knights' gym in a Mason Dixon Christian Conference game.
"We normally score a lot off of our defense," Heritage coach Ed Dorsey said. "That's what happened late in the second quarter."
"They are by far a faster team than we are," Grace coach Curtis Litten said. "The problem is, we're young ... and their speed is much more than we can handle."
The Heritage boys used a hot-shooting first half and 17 Grace turnovers to race to a 38-12 halftime lead on the way to a 64-41 victory in the nightcap of the MDCC doubleheader.
In the girls game, Morgan McIntire scored Heritage's first 13 points over the first 13 minutes of the game, giving the Eagles (8-4, 5-2) a 13-8 lead. She had four more in the 10-0 run, and finished her night with 10 fourth-quarter points for 30 total. She also had 13 rebounds and five steals.
"We had a tournament last weekend, and we were exhausted," McIntire said. "We struggled at first until we started working together on defense and getting rebounds."
"She hustled good on both sides of the ball and got a lot of transition points," Dorsey said. "We got a lot of good looks, and they didn't all go in, but I was pleased with it."
Bri Dorsey was a defensive force for Heritage with 10 steals and eight rebounds.
Kelsie Shaffer was a bright spot for Grace (4-8, 3-4) with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Tori Aikens added eight rebounds.
"(Shaffer) knows she's the senior leader, and she has a switch she can turn on," Litten said. "I get that night in and night out from her."
· Heritage turned the boys game into a laugher, displaying crisp ball movement and making 9 of 15 shots in the first quarter and 5 of 8 in the second to build a 26-point halftime lead. Andrew Hendershot hit three first-half 3-pointers and tied teammate Cody Butts for game-high scoring honors with 13 points.
"Grace is young and they're working hard. We were able to get up on them early," Eagles coach Mike Kidd said. "The ball movement opened it up for Andrew and he hit a few 3s. The guys were sharing the ball well."
Troy Cosner came off the bench for seven points and 10 rebounds, while Butts had six assists and Hendershot added four steals for Heritage (8-1, 7-0).
Caleb Serafini scored 11 points and Kenny Frederickson added 10 for Grace (0-10, 0-7).


DP_Seattle 1, Oakland 1. LOB_Seattle 6, Oakland 7. 2B_Iannetta (12), B.Butler 2 (16). HR_Cano (26), N.Cruz (29), K.Davis (29). SB_Crisp (7).
Umpires_Home, Chris Guccione; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Mike Muchlinski; Third, Marty Foster.