Why the next world war will be fought over food

The world has a massive food crisis — so big that the World Bank and the United Nations say there won’t be enough food to feed the global population by 2050. But feeding the world is big business.

The world has a massive food crisis on its hands. The crisis is so big that organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations say there won’t be enough food to feed the global population when it jumps from the current seven billion people to nine billion by 2050.

Some research even suggests a food scarcity crunch as early as 2030 – just 15 years from now.

The reasons? Severe weather events like droughts and floods, economic hardships, and political unrest in underdeveloped countries, as well as agribusiness expansion.

While many experts say that producing more food will make the crisis go away, others contend it’s not that simple.

“To address food security, we need a shift in the way we address poverty and inequality in the world,” Stephen Scanlan, a professor of sociology at Ohio University. “There should be a reframing of food as a fundamental human right in a way that governments actually stand by.”

But feeding the world is big business. Multinational food companies and retailers are heavily involved in food production. Corporations such as Kraft KRFT 0.38% , ConAgra CAG 0.35% , Cargill, and PepsiCo PEP 0.82% dominate global food distribution.
Companies like Monsanto MON 0.42% , the biggest maker of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) seeds, promote their high tech products as a way to increase food production.
And those companies are seeing benefits. Global food prices increased by four percent between January and April of this year, according to the World Bank, stopping a decline in food prices starting in August 2012.
While those figures may please company shareholders, that kind of consolidation and profit puts too much control over food supplies into too few places, according to critics like Scanlan. Beyond the perceived threats from the business world, global food supplies, one analyst argued, are at the mercy of some nations seeking to feed their own populations at the expense of others.

“China is the largest purchaser of farmable land in the world,” said Usha Haley, a professor of business management at West Virginia University. “They’re doing it to acquire resources as they have a huge gap between what they produce and what they use.”

Food scarcity now

For many, food scarcity is already here. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that 842 million people in the world remain undernourished. And nearly two thirds of them are living in the Asia-Pacific region. One in four children under the age of five is stunted due to malnutrition.

Fueling the problem are worldwide diets that rely on an ever smaller group of crops, leaving global food supplies at the mercy of inflation, insects, disease, and bad weather. Also, there’s the increasing creation of inedible products — such as fuel — from crops that normally get put on the kitchen table.

“What concerns us is biofuel expansion,” said Kristin Sundell, director of policy and campaigns for ActionAid, an international group that focuses on ending poverty.

“We’ve seen a 50 percent expansion in recent years in using crops like sugar, corn and soy to create fuels for gas tanks, and that’s taking away food crops from people and making what there is more expensive,” Sundell said.

Sundell added that the large-scale investment by private agriculture businesses to buy up more farm land in poor countries is forcing local growers out of business. Farmers who do have land in areas like East Africa often face a Faustian bargain, said Scott Ickes, a professor of public health and nutrition at the College of William & Mary.

“Farmers have to choose between growing specialty cash crops like cocoa, tea and coffee — or food staples to make a living,” Ickes said. “They usually pick the cash crops as it’s a challenge for them to make ends meet.”

Helping those help themselves

While agricultural innovations like genetic modified organisms (GMOs) — hailed by many and condemned by others – are often offered up as solutions, one analyst said simple ways to distribute and store food are needed.

“A lot of food rots because of bad storage facilities in poor countries, and bad infrastructure in those areas prevents delivery of food to a lot of the poor,” said College of William & Mary’s Ickes.

A key element in all this is helping those in need learn how to take care of themselves, said Mark Rieger, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Delaware.

“We have an agricultural program so people can develop their own food,” Rieger said. “I just got back from Kenya where we bring students here and then send them back home to help their own countries.”

Wars over food?

The World Bank reports that to avoid food shortages by 2050, the global community needs to produce at least 50 percent more food than it does today.

Many analysts say they are hopeful the world is waking up to the food scarcity problem, as more governments like the U.S. and those in Europe, ramp up efforts to provide aid to developing countries.

But a clear consensus on exactly how to end the growing food shortage remains elusive. And that could lead to even greater disasters, said West Virginia’s Haley.

“The food scarcity problem is serious. I think the next world wars could be fought over resources like food and water,” she said.

Mark Koba is a New Jersey-based freelance writer.

Dow tops 18,000 for the first time after an upbeat GDP report

 

The blue-chip index has gained almost 1,000 points in the past week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average passed 18,000 for the first time on Tuesday morning, marking yet another milestone in a year of record highs.
In mid-day trading, the Dow Jones was up 85 points, or 0.5%, at 18,044 — an all-time high for the index. The Dow Jones got off to a strong start in early trading one day after jumping 155 points to put itself within striking distance of 18,000.
The index, along with the broader U.S. market, has received a boost over the past few trading days after the U.S. Federal Reserve said last week that it will take a patient approach to its planned interest rate hikes in 2015. Tuesday’s positive news from the U.S. Commerce Department, which included an upward revision of its third-quarter gross domestic product estimate, also spurred market gains.
The Dow Jones came tantalizingly close to hitting 18,000 points earlier this month, but a prolonged market sell-off saw the blue-chip index lose more than 880 points over a nearly two-week period before a major stock rebound midway through last week.
In early July, a strong jobs report boosted the stock market, sending the Dow Jones over the 17,000-point mark for the first time. Since then, the market has endured a roller-coaster ride that included a broad sell-off in October that basically erased all of the year’s gains and sent the Dow Jones tumbling below 16,000 points, briefly. Stocks rebounded throughout November with a string of record finishes pushing the Dow Jones and S&P 500 to all-time highs.
The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Monday and was recently up another 6 points, or 0.3%, at 2,084. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq composite continues to hover around its highest levels since 2000. Today, that index is nearly flat, at 4,782 points.
Fears over numerous global concerns — sluggish global economy, strife in Ukraine and Hong Kong and the worldwide outbreak of ebola — as well as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike planned for 2015, are among the factors that have affected the market in recent months, causing several turbulent stretches. As of last week, though, investors seem fairly pleased with the Fed’s plan to be patient and measured when it comes time for interest rates to rise.

Huge brawl erupts over crying baby in the middle of flight to Hong Kong

A dramatic airplane brawl nearly forced a flight to make an emergency landing.

On Thursday, a crying baby sparked a chain of events that almost landed Air China Flight 433. According to the Daily Mail, two female passenger turned around and complained to a mother that her crying infant was making too much noise. The mother, Chan Juan Sung, shouted back prompting the two passengers to recline their seats all the way back -- taking away the mother's limited personal space.

A witness said, "I was sitting right next to them when they started telling the woman to shut the baby up. She started shouting back at them, and before I knew what was happening she leant over the seat, and punched one of them... They were fighting, the baby was now screaming and other passengers were shouting."

The pilot reportedly threatened to land the plane, but according to FlightAware, Air China Flight 433 landed on time in Hong Kong. While Hong Kong police are said to have intervened, it's unclear if they made any arrests.

This is just the latest in a long series of embarrassing mid-flight incidents. Back in September, the president of China told the country they need to improve their behavior when traveling.


http://www.aol.com/article/2014/12/19/huge-brawl-erupts-over-crying-baby-in-the-middle-of-flight-to-ho/21119146/

8 children killed in home in northern Australia

SYDNEY (AP) -- Eight dead children and a woman suffering from stab wounds were found inside a home in a northern Australian city on Friday, police said.
Police believe the 34-year-old woman with wounds to the chest is the mother of seven of the children, and the eighth child is believed to be one of her relatives, Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said. She was receiving treatment for her injuries and was in stable condition at a hospital.
Queensland state police said they were called to the home in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Friday morning after receiving a report of a woman with serious injuries. When police got to the house, they found the bodies of the children inside, ranging in age from 18 months to 15 years.
Asnicar declined to say how the children died. Forensic teams were still inside the home collecting evidence.
"As it stands at the moment, there's no need for the public to be concerned about this other than the fact that it's a tragic, tragic event," Asnicar said. "The situation is well controlled at the moment. There shouldn't be any concern for anyone else out of this environment."
Officials had not yet identified any suspects, but were talking to a range of people, he said.
"Everybody who's had any involvement at all in the past two or three days is a person of interest," Asnicar said.
Acting Chief Superintendent Russell Miller said officials believe it was an isolated incident and there was no threat to the rest of the community.
Lisa Thaiday, who said she was the injured woman's cousin, said one of the woman's other sons, a 20-year-old, came home and found his brothers and sisters dead inside the house.
"I'm going to see him now, he needs comforting," Thaiday said. "We're a big family ... I just can't believe it. We just found out (about) those poor babies."
The street has been cordoned off and a crime scene will remain in place for at least the next day, Asnicar said.
Dozens of police descended on the home, and crowds of locals stood outside the police barricades, some of them wiping away tears.
"These events are extremely distressing for everyone of course and police officers aren't immune from that - we're human beings as well," Ascinar said.
The tragedy comes as Australia is still reeling from the shock of a deadly siege in a Sydney cafe earlier this week. On Monday, a gunman burst into a cafe in the heart of the city and took 18 people inside hostage. Two hostages were killed along with the gunman after police stormed in 16 hours later in a bid to end the siege.
"The news out of Cairns is heartbreaking," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement. "All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened. This is an unspeakable crime. These are trying days for our country."

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/12/18/8-children-killed-in-northern-australian-city/21118659/

Floyd Mayweather Watched Stephanie Moseley & Earl Hayes’ Murder-Suicide On FaceTime, Hayes Accused Wife Of Cheating With Trey Songz

On Monday, Hit The Floor star Stephanie Moseley was found dead next to her rapper husband in an apparent murder-suicide and it seems that Floyd Mayweather, friend to the couple, watched the tragic incident play out in real-time.

According to TMZ, the boxer was on FaceTime with friend Earl Hayes when the rapper pulled out the gun and shot his significant other. Hayes then killed himself.
Sources tell us … rapper Earl Hayes called Floyd on FaceTime Monday morning in a rage, over claims his wife — VH1 star Stephanie Moseley — had been unfaithful.
According to our Floyd sources, Earl said he was going to kill his wife. The champ was pleading with him to get a grip … to no avail. Floyd will not say how much he saw, but he acknowledges he was a witness and heard everything.

The source said Mayweather is having a tough time dealing with what he witnessed. He has yet to make a statement about Moseley and Hayes’ deaths.

Boys discover baby's body buried at Sydney beach

SYDNEY (AP) - Two young boys playing on a Sydney beach on Sunday found an infant's body buried in the sand, police said, one week after a newborn baby was discovered alive at the bottom of a drain in the city's suburbs.
The boys, ages 6 and 7, discovered the infant's naked body while digging in the sand at Sydney's popular Maroubra beach on Sunday morning, New South Wales state police Inspector Andrew Holland said.
The body was too decomposed for officials to immediately determine the baby's age, gender or cause of death, Holland said, adding that it appeared to be "a very small infant." An autopsy will be performed.

 The discovery comes one week after a group of cyclists rescued an infant whose cries they heard coming from the bottom of a roadside drain in a Sydney suburb. Police said the baby had spent five days in the drain. The baby's mother has been charged with attempted murder.
Officials on Sunday said they were hunting through hospital records to try and find the parents of the baby buried at the beach. The boys who discovered the infant were receiving counseling.
"Police are concerned about the welfare of the mother involved and hope she sought medical assistance," Holland told reporters.

Ferguson protests block Los Angeles freeway traffic, surface streets

LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

Crowds protesting the Ferguson, Missouri grand jury decision marched through Los Angeles Tuesday night, forcing the closure of the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles at Grand Avenue.

Just after 9 p.m., protesters spilled into lanes of the 101 Freeway at Grand Avenue and blocked traffic in both directions using barricades and debris collected from surface streets. No injuries were reported, but two women were handcuffed and detained.

Police quickly corralled those on the freeway. Other protesters congregated on the Grand Avenue overpass before officers forced them across the bridge.

The protesters had broken away from a larger group of hundreds who had marched through city streets and to Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.

VIDEO: Ferguson protesters flood 101 Freeway in DTLA, block traffic

Earlier at about 3 p.m., a demonstration in Leimert Park, organized by the Youth Justice Coalition, marched eastbound down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Leimert Park toward the LAPD Southwest station east of Western Avenue. Protesters shouted, "Hands up, don't shoot."

Shortly before 7 p.m., a crowd of about 300 was moving northbound on Figueroa Street toward Pico Boulevard. By 8 p.m., large crowds had gathered in front of the LAPD Administration Building at 100 West 1st Street.

Crowds also gathered on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at the 110 Freeway briefly, but were stopped by a large police presence. Police were holding the on- and off-ramps secure at the scene to prevent people from marching onto the freeway as happened Monday night. Marchers then began moving northbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

At one point, protesters could be seen surrounding a police car and jumping on top of it.

One police officer was injured after he was struck in the head with a frozen water bottle.

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The LAPD was on citywide tactical alert for the second consecutive day. The citywide tactical alert allows the LAPD to keep officers on duty beyond their normal shifts.

Monday night, protesters filled the streets in downtown L.A. and even blocked the 110 Freeway.

"We're still angry and frustrated. We believe Michael Brown was murdered by officer Darren Wilson," Project Islamic Hope's Najee Ali said Tuesday.

During a Tuesday news conference, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck thanked the majority of demonstrators who did not break the law.

"We want to make sure everybody knows that we absolutely support the First Amendment, we support people's right to assemble and to lawfully speak out on issues that are a great concern to them," Beck said. "We cannot support and we will not allow people to use their rights to trample on the rights of others."

The LAPD had initially lifted its first tactical alert overnight, and said three people were arrested in the downtown protests for public intoxication, failure to disperse and attacking an officer.

PHOTOS: Rallies held across Los Angeles to protest Ferguson decision

Protesters demonstrating after a grand jury decision on a Ferguson police officer flood the 101 Freeway on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014.

"This is a national discussion, a national debate, on police legitimacy and on issues of race. It's an important debate. It's an important discussion to have," Beck said. "But we want to have that discussion in a manner that puts forth the ideals that people are trying to express and not in a manner that detracts from them."

WATCH LIVE ABC7 COVERAGE

Los Angeles city officials said that overall the demonstrations were peaceful.

"I was very impressed and proud of the way that Angelenos acted last night," said Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson.

However, Beck said demonstrations on the freeways will no longer be tolerated for safety reasons.

"It's not only dangerous for the protester, it's dangerous for the motoring public and dangerous for the public safety employees that will risked their lives to make sure that the other people involved are safe," Beck said. "We will make arrests if people go up on the freeway."

Taylor Swift tops People magazine's 2014 best-dressed list

 
Taylor Swift has officially put her stamp on style.

The "Shake It Off" singer strutted her way right to the top of People Magazine's 2014 best-dressed celebrity list on Wednesday.

Swift's accolade, which was given to Kerry Washington by the publication last year, is no surprise. It's been hard not to notice the former country cutie's style transformation.

Over the past year, the 24-year-old superstar has ditched her sparkly, princess-like numbers in favor of sleek, modern gowns from designers like Gucci Premiere and J Mendel. She has also consistently reached for edgier styles like crop tops and thigh-high slits.

Swifty hasn't just nailed her red carpet ensembles; her street style is just as impressive. Since moving to New York City, the design darling has regularly stepped out in ladylike silhouettes and tailored separates that truly highlight her A-list body.

What's more? The gorgeous gal has debuted a short new haircut, which was a stark departure from her former long locks.

Swift is certainly in stylish company on this year's best-dressed list. Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o, singers Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna and actresses Blake Lively, Emma Stone and Emma Watson, were all included as well.

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/17/taylor-swift-tops-people-magazine-s-2014-best-dressed-list/20963983/?ncid=webmail13

America's Got Talent' Crowns Winner In Shocker Finale

"America's Got Talent" crowned its season 9 champion Wednesday night. And the winner is...

"Mat Franco! Wow! Congratulations!"
"Unfreaking believable!"

Yes, illusionist Mat Franco beat out country singer Emily West to become the first magician ever to walk away with the "America's Got Talent" title. Unfreaking believable, indeed!

And his fans on Twitter couldn't have been happier, saying Mat made America believe in magic again with his big win.

But Mat wasn't the favorite to win heading into the finale.

The audience and judges alike were shocked when 12-year-old singer Quintavious Johnson finished in fifth place. Some fans even booed when the results were announced.

But Mat, a self-taught magician who got his start touring college campuses, did wow all season with his impressive and engaging tricks. He actually started making magic long before "America's Got Talent."

His grandmother told WJAR before the finale Mat started doing tricks when he was just four years old.

"It's unbelievable and I knew he was going to end up somewhere. I didn't know it was this but I knew he was going to end up somewhere. He was that good when he was young."

Along with having the title of the winner of 'AGT,' Mat also scored $1 million in prize money and his own headlining show in Las Vegas. Magical.

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/18/america-s-got-talent-crowns-winner-in-shocker-finale/20964175/?ncid=webmail4

Tycoon buys 30 Rolls-Royces for Macau hotel

KELVIN CHAN

HONG KONG (AP) - A Hong Kong tycoon has placed the biggest ever order for Rolls-Royce cars, agreeing to buy 30 Phantoms to chauffeur guests at a luxury resort he's building in the global gambling capital of Macau.
Stephen Hung's $20 million purchase surpasses the 14 Phantoms bought by Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel in 2006.
Hung and Rolls-Royce executives signed the deal Tuesday at the company's Goodwood factory in England.
The Extended Wheelbase Phantoms will be used for guests at Hung's "ultra-luxury" Louis XIII hotel, which is scheduled to open in early 2016.
Rolls-Royce said two of the cars will be the most expensive Phantoms ever commissioned, complete with "gold-plated accents" on the outside and interior.
Louis XIII Holdings Ltd. said it will pay the automaker a $2 million deposit, $3 million more by the end of the year and the remaining $15 million when the cars are delivered in the first half of 2016.
The Phantom's base price in Britain is about 450,000 pounds ($734,000) including taxes, a company spokesman said, though prices vary by market and many buyers order custom features that push prices much higher. Customers have been known to spend more than $1 million on bespoke models.
With casino revenues of $45 billion last year, Macau is the world's most lucrative gambling market, outpacing the Las Vegas Strip seven times over. After authorities ended a casino monopoly a decade ago, newly wealthy mainland Chinese high rollers started pouring in to wager at glitzy new resorts built by foreign operators such as Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts.
However, the boom is beginning to fade as Chinese President Xi Jinping's corruption crackdown starts to bite, putting a dampener on lavish spending by officials and other wealthy Chinese. Macau's gambling revenues fell 6 percent in August, the third straight month of annual decline after five years of uninterrupted growth.
Hung, a former investment banker, is known for his flamboyant style and the resort looks to be the flashiest of the wave of expansion projects now under construction in the tiny Chinese territory near Hong Kong.
Named after the French king who started building the famed Palace of Versailles, the resort will boast a 20,000 square foot (1,860 square meter) villa billed as the world's "most extravagant" hotel suite that will reportedly cost $130,000 a night.
Hung has even enlisted a descendent of Louis XIII to help with the hotel's design, based on French Renaissance and Baroque styling.

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/17/tycoon-buys-30-rolls-royces-for-macau-hotel/20963505/?ncid=webmail23

A Letter From Prince George

The first royal baby has some things to say about the arrival of his sibling

Dear Mum and Dad,
Uncle Harry was telling me that it’s really hard to be the younger sibling of the future king and that I should be really nice to the new baby. Don’t worry. The baby and I will get along just fine. I’ve even come up with a sweet nickname for the new baby. I’m going to call it Not George. Though if others prefer to refer to it as The Other One, that’s OK with me.
Truthfully, I’m more worried about how you guys are going to handle parenting the both of us than I am about me. Up until now, I’ve graciously let you spend all your time and attention on me. I’ve even let you shuttle me around the world so I can help charm some normal people and increase your Q-rating. But the reality is, once Not George arrives you’re going to miss me.
So I’ve come up with a bunch of super helpful ways I can help you out once that baby arrives.
RELATED: Texts of Celebrity Fetuses
First, I’m going to stop sleeping through the night.
You’re welcome.
I won’t do it now. I’ll wait until later, like maybe the day Not George is born. Because chances are that baby is going to want a little bit of your attention, which you’ll prefer to give to me. And you’ll say things like, “There’s just not enough time in the day.” What you’ll really mean is, “George is my favorite.”
That’s why I’m going to do you and Dad a solid by extending our day well into the night. If I wake up for a good three to four hours in the middle of the night, we’ll have plenty of uninterrupted hours to do some of our favorite things like draw in permanent ink on the palace walls, mash Goldfish crackers into some antiques and dip Great Grandma’s hand in water while she’s sleeping.

Photograph by Rex / Rex USA

Squeee! That game is my favorite.

I am here to make you and Dad’s life easy once Not George arrives.

Mummy, I also thought I’d cling to your leg and cry a lot when you try to leave the palace. And if you want I can throw a few really big tantrums so you have to miss a charity event or public appearance. That way you won’t have to put on real clothes and do your hair. It could be just you and me all day, every day. Who needs Sir Elton John when you can hang out in sweats with the future king?
Speaking of which, I’m going to fire the nanny.
She’s just a barrier between you and me being together all the time. And since she’s actually pretty nice, I want to give her ample notice so she can find another job. So for now, I’ll start slow by throwing a sippy cup or two her way. In a few weeks, I’ll give her finger a little nibble. I can’t be held responsible if I draw blood. I may be royalty, but my gross motor skills are totally average.
Once she gets back from the hospital, I’ll start screaming every time I see her. Then just as Not George comes home from the hospital, I’ll drop her cell phone in the toilet. That way when you tell her you no longer need her services because you want to spend all your time with me, she’ll be prepared. She may even be relieved, though I am pretty cute even when I’m crying.
RELATED: 10 Things I Want to Know About the Royal Baby
The most important thing for you to know is that I’m on your team. I am here to make you and Dad’s life easy once Not George arrives. You’ll be exhausted and feel like you have no time for yourself. But don’t worry, I’ll be up all night screaming and yelling so I can make sure you have plenty of time for me.
XO,
Your firstborn (and best one), George.
BONUS: Pregnant Celebrity Moms

Shark kills man in Australia despite rescue bid

SYDNEY (AP) - A man was killed in a shark attack Tuesday at the popular tourist destination of Byron Bay on Australia's east coast despite a beachgoer's brave rescue attempt, police said.
The beachgoer, Mark Hickey, swam 15-20 meters (50-65 feet) from the shore of Clarkes Beach to retrieve the man, who had sustained severe wounds to his right leg, Police Inspector Bobbie Cullen said.
The victim, a local man in his 50s whose name has not been released, received medical treatment on the beach but did not survive, Cullen said.
"A gentleman who was on the beach went out and located the gentleman and pulled him in," Cullen told reporters. "Absolutely it is (an extraordinary act of bravery) and we can only thank him for his efforts."
Hickey, a lawyer on vacation at Byron Bay, told Ten Network television news that he saw the shark and its bloodied victim and swam out to try to attempt a rescue as the shark attacked again.
"I went out there and, I don't know, I just thought I've got to get this guy in and that's what I tried to do," Hickey said.
He said he dragged the victim onto the beach and attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes, but the man had apparently bled to death in the water. Ten reported that the shark had bitten through the victim's wetsuit on his upper right thigh, tearing off much of his leg.
The leg wounds were being examined to identify the size and species of the shark.
Cullen said the crew of a rescue helicopter spotted what appeared to be a great white shark in the area after the suspected attack, but had lost sight of it. She said all Byron Bay beaches would be closed for 24 hours due to the potential danger.
Byron Bay is a renowned surfing location near Cape Byron, the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Sydney.
The death is the first fatal attack in Australia since April 3, when a 63-year-old woman was taken by a 3-to-4-meter (10-to-13-foot) shark near the village of Tathra, 340 kilometers (210 miles) south of Sydney.
Although sharks are common off Australia's coasts, the country has averaged fewer than two fatal attacks per year in recent decades. But fatal attacks are becoming more common. Two men were killed in shark attacks off the east and west coasts in the space of a week in November last year. They were the only fatalities in 2013.

#MoreThanMeat: Sisters Call for Boycott of Carl's Jr.

Do you think burger chain's ads objectify women?

Mack Gelber Sep 8th 2014 7:54AM

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Alamy

You may or may not have a Carl's Jr. restaurant in your state, but you're probably familiar with their racy advertisements, which make headlines every couple of years for their depiction of bikini-clad women, for all intents and purposes, making out with cheeseburgers. But if you haven't seen them before, they look like this:

Getty Images

Sexy woman! Sexy meat! It doesn't take a psychiatrist to figure out the subtext here. Now, though, two Utah sisters are taking the burger chain to task for its portrayal of female subjects.

Lexie and Lindsey Kite founded Beauty Redefined, a non-profit organization dedicated to "rethinking our ideas of 'beautiful' and 'healthy' that we've likely learned from for-profit media that thrives off female insecurity." Speaking on CNBC's Closing Bell, the sisters described their campaign, which calls for the boycott of Carl's Jr.

"We definitely target media that ... treats girls and women as a compilation of body parts, as something to be used and consumed and then discarded," Lindsey told CNBS. "That's definitely what Carl's Jr. does with women in their advertisements."

The sisters, both of whom hold PhDs in media studies and body image, are raising awareness on Twitter using the hashtags #CutTheCarls and #MoreThanMeat:

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, pregnant with second child, Clarence House confirms

The beloved Kate Middleton and Prince William are expecting their second child.

The announcement came early Monday morning around 5:30 a.m. EST from the royal household's official Twitter account @ClarenceHouse.
Read the official statement below, which confirms that Kate, who is reportedly not 12 weeks pregnant, is again suffering from acute morning sickness as she did during her first pregnancy with Prince George, who she gave birth to just over a year ago:

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child.

The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.

As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer accompany The Duke of Cambridge on their planned engagement in Oxford today. The Duchess of Cambridge is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace.

ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy, who is in Oxford covering the royal event that Middleton was not able to attend today due to morning sickness, told ABC that 'the Palace would likely not have released news of Kate's pregnancy for another five to six weeks had she been healthy enough to attend public events.'
'It's not something that they would have wanted to do,' Murphy said. 'They had to announce it today because she was due to attend here today and she couldn't be here and they knew that there would be huge questions and speculation about why she wasn't here.'

The Press Association also explains the royal hierarchy as it will stand with the introduction of baby number two:

The new royal baby will be born fourth in line to the throne.
As a sibling to Prince George, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's second child will not be expected to be crowned sovereign.
But second-born royal children - often dubbed the "spare to heir" - have on occasion ended up as monarch.
The country's last king, George VI, was not meant to accede to the throne and only did so when his older brother Edward VIII abdicated over his love for American divorcee Wallis Simpson in 1936.
Once he or she arrives, Prince Harry will shift down the line of succession to fifth in line to the throne, while the Duke of York will move to sixth place and princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to seventh and eighth.
The baby will be a prince or princess thanks to the Queen, who stepped in ahead of Prince George's birth to ensure all William's children would become HRHs with fitting titles.
If the baby is a girl, it will be the first time a great granddaughter of a still-serving sovereign has been born in direct succession on the male line since 1897, when George VI's sister Princess Mary was born.

British PM David Cameron released a statement of congratulations Monday: "Many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I'm delighted by the happy news that they're expecting another baby."

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/08/official-spokesperson-for-duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-announce/20958675/?ncid=webmail11

Video of Ray Rice punching then-fiancee in casino elevator surfaces

On Monday, TMZ released video of Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator in Atlantic City in February. Rice was suspended just two games by the NFL in July.
According to a source, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had not seen the horrific video showing Rice punching Janay Palmer before handing down a two-game suspension.

Goodell is also reviewing the new evidence that was posted by the gossip website around 4 a.m. Monday.
"We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us. And no one in our office has seen it until today," the NFL said in a statement.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/08/video-of-ray-rice-punching-then-fiancee-in-casino-elevator-surfa/20958908/?ncid=webmail2

Beyonce Shows Off New Tattoos While in Portofino, Italy, for Her Birthday (Photos)

Danielle Datu

Sep 06, 2014 2:20PM

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Tags:beyonce knowles, jay z

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Did Beyoncé get new tattoos all over her flawless body for her birthday? Yes, but it's not what you think.

While sightseeing in Portofino, Italy, with husband Jay Z today, the "Drunk in Love" singer flaunted four (for the millionth time her favorite number!) sets of ink fit for a queen: gold Flash Tattoos, or jewelry-inspired designs that should last the duration of her European birthday trip. In a word: temporary.

The 33 year old's floral bikini-and-coverup look revealed two different emblems adorning her clavicle for a necklace effect, bangles up and down both arms and sexy peacock feathers on her left thigh. Love!

Instagram, thebeyonceworld

Despite reports that Bey had her permanent "IV" tattoo on her wedding finger ring removed following her sister Solange Knowles' infamous fight with Jay, which most speculated stemmed from a cheating scandal, that rumor was later debunked when the tat resurfaced after presumably only being retouched.

And clearly the couple, who married in April of 2008, are still very much together. Photos show them walking in the romantic city with their arms around each other. A couple days prior, they celebrated Bey's birthday as one happy family on a beach in Corsica, France, with 2-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.

The Knowles-Carters, who are also vacationing with their mothers, will likely stick around Europe and live the fabulous life for at least another week due to the two upcoming Paris dates of their 'On the Run' tour on September 12 and 13, which are being filmed for their September 20 HBO concert special.

Who still thinks Bey and Jay are going to announce they're getting a divorce after their tour wraps up?

http://www.cambio.com/2014/09/06/beyonce-shows-off-new-tattoos-while-in-portofino-italy-for-her/?cps=gravity

Serena Williams wins 3rd US Open in row, 18th Slam

By HOWARD FENDRICH

NEW YORK (AP) - Serena Williams ended a difficult-for-her Grand Slam season in the best way possible, winning her third consecutive U.S. Open title by beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday.
Williams equaled Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with 18 major singles titles, the fourth-most in history. Williams also matched Evert's total of six championships at the U.S. Open and became the first woman to win three in a row since Evert's four-title run from 1975-78.
Williams earned $4 million, a record in tennis - $3 million for the title, plus a $1 million bonus for having had the best results during the North American summer hard-court circuit.
It was a dominant performance to cap a dominant two weeks in Flushing Meadows. Not only did Williams, ranked and seeded No. 1, win all 14 sets she played in the tournament, she never even dropped more than three games in any of them.
Until the U.S. Open, though, Williams had not been at her best on her sport's biggest stages in 2014. She lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open, the second round at the French Open, and the third round at Wimbledon, where a disoriented Williams also struggled through an odd appearance in doubles that was attributed to a viral illness.
Back at the top of her game, Williams broke Wozniacki's serve five times and compiled a hard-to-believe 29-4 edge in winners.
Remarkably, until a cross-court backhand on the run in the final game that even Williams applauded, the only winners registered by the 10th-seeded Wozniacki came on a trio of aces, one in the first set, two in the second.
That was, in part, a result of the Dane's iffy play in only her second Grand Slam final - she lost to Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open - but more due to Williams' relentless pursuit of every ball.
A few weeks shy of her 33rd birthday, making the American the oldest major champion since Navratilova was 33 at Wimbledon in 1990, Williams simply would not allow a shot to get past her. Wozniacki is the one training for the New York City Marathon, but Williams tired her out by the end.
Wozniacki was not exactly an extra in this Williams highlight reel, but pretty close to it. The points were being directed by Williams, whether via serves that reached 120 mph (194 kph), forceful returns that backed Wozniacki into a corner when not producing outright winners, unreachable groundstrokes from all angles or even the occasional volley.
Yes, this, as might have been expected, was really all about Williams. At times, it felt as if Wozniacki were there because, well, someone needed to be on the opposite side of the net to act as Williams' opponent.
They've been good pals for years, and they hung out together in Miami - heading to the beach, watching an NBA playoff game - right after both lost early at the French Open in May. Wozniacki says Williams helped her get over the end of her engagement to golf star Rory McIlroy.
That friendship between Williams and Wozniacki did not matter one bit, of course, while they played Sunday with so much at stake as early evening shadows moved across the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
As Williams put it beforehand, referring to her older sister, "If I can play Venus, I can play anybody."
Sure looked that way Sunday.

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/07/serena-williams-caroline-wozniacki-us-open-2014-results/20958518/?ncid=webmail14

Death of singer Simone Battle is ruled suicide

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The death of girl group singer Simone Battle has been ruled a suicide by hanging.
Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Department said the cause of death was determined Sunday, two days after the 25-year-old singer was found dead in her West Hollywood home. No further details are being released.
Battle gained notoriety through performances on the television show "X Factor." Her five-member band - G.R.L., originally a reboot of the Pussycat Dolls - had been signed by mega-hit maker Dr. Luke.
The group was featured on rapper Pitbull's hit song "Wild Wild Love" earlier this year. Battle told The Associated Press in July that the collaboration gave the group a platform to launch its debut single, "Ugly Heart."

 Singer Simone Battle, who rose to fame on "The X Factor," was found dead in her Los Angeles home Saturday.

TMZ broke the story and reports that the 25-year-old's death was an apparent suicide.

CNN reports that Battle was a Los Angeles native who grew up singing in a church choir and studied music and songwriting at the University of Southern California.

Battle's music career started to take off after her run on "The X Factor" in 2011.

She then signed on as one-fifth of the pop group G.R.L., which is best known for its collaboration with Pit Pull on "Wild Wild Love."

G.R.L. was started by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin as the next generation of her original group.

The group commemorated Battle on its Twitter account saying:

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G.R.L.’s Simone Battle Dies at 25

Law enforcement sources reportedly say she was found hanging and the death appears to be suicide.

G.R.L. member Simone Battle has died at the age of 25, Billboard has confirmed.
Battle was found in her Los Angeles home on Sept. 5. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but law enforcement sources tell TMZ she was found hanging and the death appears to be suicide.

G.R.L. Drops 'Ugly Heart' Single: Listen

Battle, an X Factor finalist in 2011, was one of five members of girl group G.R.L., whose debut self-titled EP was released on July 29 through Kemosabe Records/RCA Records. After getting some shine by collaborating with Pitbull on the Top 40 hit "Wild Wild Love," the act released the single "Ugly Heart," produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut.
G.R.L. was created by choreographer/director Robin Antin as a reboot of sorts of the Pussycat Dolls, which disbanded in 2010. The group also includes members Lauren Bennett, Emmalyn Estrada, Natasha Slayton and Paula Van Oppen.

G.R.L.: New Girl Group's Formation Was 'Not Something That Happened Overnight'

G.R.L.’s management company Reign Deer Entertainment, Antin, Kemosabe Records and RCA released the following statement following Battle’s death.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the loss of Simone Battle of G.R.L. Simone was an exceptional young talent and human being, and we are all devastated to learn of her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones at this time.”
Battle’s last tweeted was on Sept. 2 that she was heading out to see artist Evan Mellows perform at the Bootleg in Los Angeles.

Comedian Joan Rivers dead at 81

By LYNN ELBER

Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81.

Rivers was hospitalized last week after she went into cardiac arrest at a Manhattan doctor's office following a routine procedure. Daughter Melissa Rivers said she died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surrounded by family and close friends.

"My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh," Melissa Rivers said. "Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."

Rivers - who made "Can we talk?" a trademark of her routines - never mellowed during her half-century-long career. She had insults ready for all races, genders and creeds. She moved from longtime targets such as the weight problems of Elizabeth Taylor, of whom she said "her favorite food is seconds," to newer foes such as Miley Cyrus, and continued to appear on stage and on TV into her 80s.

Comedy was not only her calling, but her therapy, as she turned her life inside out for laughs, mocking everything from her proclaimed lack of sex appeal ("My best birth control now is just to leave the lights on") to even her own mortality.

"I have never wanted to be a day less than I am," she insisted in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press. "People say, `I wish I were 30 again.' Nahhh! I'm very happy HERE. It's great. It gets better and better. And then, of course, we die," she quipped.

With her red-carpet query "Who are you wearing?", the raspy-voiced blonde with the brash New York accent also helped patent pre-awards commentary - and the snarky criticism that often accompanies it, like cracking that Adele's Grammy wardrobe made the singer look like she was sitting on a teapot. Rivers slammed actors at the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes for E! Entertainment. In 2007, Rivers and her partner-in-slime, daughter Melissa, were dropped by their new employer, the TV Guide Channel, and replaced by actress Lisa Rinna. But they found new success on E! with "Fashion Police," which Rivers hosted and her daughter produced.

No performer worked harder, was more resilient or tenacious. She never stopped writing, testing and fine-tuning her jokes.

"The trouble with me is, I make jokes too often," she told the AP in 2013, just days after the death of her older sister. "I was making jokes yesterday at the funeral home. That's how I get through life. Life is SO difficult - everybody's been through something! But you laugh at it, it becomes smaller."

She had faced true crisis in the mid-1980s. Edgar Rosenberg, her husband of 23 years, committed suicide in 1987 after she was fired from her Fox talk show, which he produced. The show's failure was a major factor, Rivers said. Rosenberg's suicide also temporarily derailed her career.

"Nobody wants to see someone whose husband has killed himself do comedy four weeks later," she told The New York Times in 1990.
Rivers had originally entered show business with the dream of being an actress, but comedy was a way to pay the bills while she auditioned for dramatic roles. "Somebody said, `You can make six dollars standing up in a club,'" she told the AP, "and I said, `Here I go!' It was better than typing all day."

In the early 1960s, comedy was a man's game and the only women comics she could look to were Totie Fields and Phyllis Diller. But she worked her way up from local clubs in New York until, in 1965, she landed her big break on "The Tonight Show" after numerous rejections. "God, you're funny. You're going to be a star," host Johnny Carson told her after she had rocked the audience with laughter.

Her nightclub career prospered and by late that year she had recorded her first comedy album, "Joan Rivers Presents Mr. Phyllis and Other Funny Stories." Her personal life picked up as well: She met British producer Rosenberg and they married after a four-day courtship.

Rivers hosted a morning talk show on NBC in 1968 and, the next year, made her Las Vegas debut with female comedians still a relative rarity.

"To control an audience is a very masculine thing," Rivers told the Los Angeles Times in 1977. "The minute a lady is in any form of power, they (the public) totally strip away your femininity - which isn't so. Catherine the Great had a great time"

In 1978, she wrote, directed and co-starred in the movie "Rabbit Test." It had an intriguing premise - Billy Crystal as a man who gets pregnant - but was poorly received. In 1983, though, she scored a coup when she was named permanent guest host for Carson on "Tonight."

Although she drew good ratings, NBC hesitated in renewing her contract three years later. Fledgling network Fox jumped in with an offer of her own late-night show.

She launched "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" on Fox in 1986, but the venture lasted just a season and came at a heavy price: Carson cut ties with her when she surprised him by becoming a competitor.

Carson kept publicly silent about her defection but referred obliquely to his new rival in his monologue on the day her show debuted.

"There are a lot of big confrontations this week," Carson said as the audience giggled expectantly. "Reagan and Gorbachev, the Mets versus the Astros, and me versus `The Honeymooners' lost episodes."

Her show was gone in a year and she would declare that she had been "raped" by Fox; Three months later, her husband was found dead.

It took two years to get her career going again, and then she didn't stop. Rivers appeared at clubs and on TV shows including "Hollywood Squares." She appeared on Broadway and released more comedy albums and books, most recently "Diary of a Mad Diva."

Rivers once joked that there was not "one female comic who was beautiful as a little girl." She was born Joan Molinsky in Brooklyn to Russian immigrants Meyer Molinsky, a doctor, and Beatrice. Rivers had a privileged upbringing but struggled with weight - she was a self-proclaimed "fatty" as a child - and recalled using make-believe as an escape. After graduating from Barnard College in 1954, she went to work as a department store fashion coordinator before she turned to comedy clubs. She had a six-month marriage to Jimmy Sanger.

In recent years, Rivers was a familiar face on TV shopping channel QVC, hawking her line of jewelry, and won the reality show "Celebrity Apprentice" by beating out her bitter adversary, poker champ Annie Duke. In 2010, she was featured in the documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work."

She never let age, or anything, make her sentimental. Earlier in 2014, she got inked: a half-inch-tall tattoo, "6M," on the inside of her arm representing 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust. In 2013, she brashly pledged to work "forever."

"You never relax and say, 'Well, here I am!'" she declared. "You always think, `Is this gonna be OK?' I have never taken anything for granted."

Survivors include daughter Melissa and a grandson, Cooper.
http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/04/comedian-joan-rivers-dead-at-81/20957420/?ncid=webmail14

No gray area: Beliefs shape view of Brown killing

BY JESSE WASHINGTON
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Lamont Jones and Keith Stephens stood 60 feet from each other, separated by four lanes of pavement and a thousand miles of perception.
Stephens was wearing a T-shirt printed with a police shield bearing the phrase "OFFICER DARREN WILSON I STAND BY YOU," as part of a rally supporting the white policeman who killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed. Jones was across the street, holding up a sign that said, in blood-red letters: "Darren Wilson is a Murderer."
There was no overlap in the facts as seen by Jones and Stephens at the demonstrations staged a few miles from suburban Ferguson, where Brown was killed. Like many who have closely followed the case, which sparked riots and yet another national racial conflagration, Jones and Stephens had made up their minds.
Like uncounted numbers of Americans, they saw no gray area in the killing of Michael Brown.
Many are convinced there was no justification for Wilson to kill Brown because he was unarmed. Many others are certain it was justifiable because they believe Brown threatened Wilson.
Not everyone is so sure. In a CBS News/New York Times poll, 64 percent of respondents said they didn't know enough to say whether the shooting was justified. Only about half of respondents said they had paid "a lot" of attention to the case.
But the national furor over Ferguson is fueled by those with strong opinions. They are the people still marching, or calling Brown a thug, or demanding that Wilson be convicted, or implying that Brown deserved his death.
Such strong opinions can often be influenced by "confirmation bias," psychologists say. A large body of research shows that people search for evidence to support their preexisting viewpoints - and then interpret that information in a way that reinforces their beliefs.
"It's the tendency to seek out and give greater weight to information that confirms what we think rather than contradicts it," said Scott Plous, a psychology professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
Confirmation bias seemed to be running rampant at the dueling demonstrations.
About 100 Wilson backers, nearly all of them white, gathered outside of Barney's Sports Pub in St. Louis late last month, brandishing signs like "Heroes Have A Right To Protect Themselves." A multiracial group of about a dozen Brown supporters stood across the street. Passing drivers honked in support of one side or the other, screamed obscenities, or raised middle fingers out of windows.
Jones stalked the sidewalk with a silent, smoldering gaze. Asked why his sign called Wilson a murderer, he said Brown was unarmed and was shot with his hands up.
What about the police statement that Brown tried to grab Wilson's weapon?
"Where his witnesses at?" Jones demanded. "(Brown) ran away. He was unarmed."
"Use a stun gun. Taser," Jones added. "The facts are, Darren Wilson fired a multitude of six shots into an 18-year-old, who was unarmed . two shots in the arm, the rest in the head and upper torso."
An autopsy by the Brown family said Brown was hit with four shots in the arm and two in the head.
Might any information emerge that could change Jones' mind?
"No," Jones said, gaze steady. "Not at all."
His parting shot: "Unarmed!"
Across the street, questions about the case were met with a different selection of facts.
People at the Wilson rally brought up the arrest record of Dorian Johnson, the first witness, who said Brown was shot in the back (autopsies indicate the bullets hit him from the front) and with his hands up.
They were quick to mention two unverified accounts that provided support for those who argue Brown rushed toward the officer.
No mention was made of the other three witnesses - Tiffany Mitchell, Piaget Crenshaw and James McKnight - who also said they saw Brown's hands up. None of those witnesses described Brown rushing toward the officer.
Wilson's supporters mentioned that Brown stole a box of cigars from a store and roughly shoved the clerk minutes before he encountered Wilson.
"That'd say something about your character, right? And then you might start a fight with a cop?" said a plumber who gave his name as James Edwards.
Edwards mentioned a report, based on anonymous sources, that Wilson's orbital eye socket was fractured. But what about another anonymously sourced report that there was no fracture?
"I don't know if it's true or not. It makes no difference. He had facial wounds when he was hit. He was 100 percent right to shoot," Edwards said, as a passing driver honked in solidarity.
Stephens, one of many people wearing the Wilson badge T-shirts selling for $20, said that if Brown grabbed Wilson's weapon and assaulted him, "that gives him every right to shoot him."
At first Stephens said he could see a gray area in the case because there was so much unconfirmed information circulating. Then he said, "If we assume this officer's account is accurate, there is no gray area in the state of Missouri," meaning he believed what Wilson did was legal under state law.
Did he assume Wilson's account was accurate?
"Yeah, I do," Stephens said.
Several witnesses described Brown breaking away from Wilson and running away. They recalled the officer firing shots at the fleeing Brown, and then Brown stopping.
The crucial question is what happened next.
The rallying cry of "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" has become a powerful symbol of Brown's death. But could "Hands Up" be more myth than fact?
Alternatively, could Wilson, facing possible criminal charges over his decision to shoot, have exaggerated Brown's aggression, shading his statement of facts about what happened?
With so much incomplete and sometimes conflicting information, some confirmation bias is bound to occur.
"If one were to view a police officer pointing a gun at someone, and they also view police negatively, they may very well ignore whatever events precipitated the officer drawing his/her weapon, even though that action may have been entirely justifiable," Lou Manza, chair of the psychology department at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, said in an email.
"On the other side," he said, "if one has a favorable view of police, they're going to ignore the alleged assailant's behavior, and simply assume that the police officer is correct, despite the fact that the officer may very well be wrong and unjustified in their actions."
"Confirmation bias is a subtle but strong effect," Manza said, "and once a belief is established, it can be VERY difficult to change it."
This helps to explain why Brown's killing, currently being considered by a Missouri grand jury, has revived a dynamic seen in racial controversy after controversy, from O.J. Simpson to Rodney King to Trayvon Martin: People look at the same information and come to very different conclusions.
In this particular case, with little unambiguous evidence, "people are actually acting very reasonably," said Plous, the Wesleyan professor.
"There is a void, and into that void, people will bring whatever they regard as the most reasonable evidence," he said. "People are trying to make sense of this tragedy using the most compelling evidence they have available."
Such as their own perspectives and experiences.
"We're forced to reconstruct, to remember, to imagine what could have taken place," Plous said, "and those are precisely the conditions when we're likely to see bias."

Massachusetts Man Who Sparked ALS 'Ice Bucket Challenge' Now a Father

Pete Frates' father John Frates told SportsCenter 5's Mike Lynch that the birth was "the perfect ending to the miracle month of August."
Lucy Frates checked in at 7 pounds 8 ounces, and both mom and baby are doing well, the family told Lynch.
The Ice Bucket Challenge has raised millions of dollars since Pete Frates dared a few people to try it earlier this year, all in the name of raising awareness of the debilitating disease.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/02/massachusetts-man-who-sparked-als-ice-bucket-challenge-now-a-f/20955720/?ncid=webmail19

Jimi Jamison, lead singer of Survivor, dies at 63

The music world and fans are mourning the death of Jimi Jamison.

The lead singer of the 1980s rock band Survivor passed away on August 31st of a heart attack at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 63 years old.
Jamison joined Survivor in 1984 to record Vital Signs after then-lead singer Dave Bickler left due to vocal problems.

The band went on to make hits such as "Eye Of The Tiger" and "I Can't Hold Back."

He also wrote and sang the theme song for Baywatch. After also singing with Cobra and Target, Jamison went on to perform as a solo artist around the U.S., Europe and South America, according to his website.

The family is asking that in lieu of "demonstrations of sympathy" that donations be made to his favorite charity - St. Jude Children's hospital.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/02/jimi-jamison-lead-singer-of-survivor-dies-at-63/20955617/?ncid=webmail17

Inquiries begin into nude celebrity photo leaks

BY ANTHONY MCCARTNEY
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The FBI said Monday it was addressing allegations that online accounts of several celebrities, including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, had been hacked, leading to the posting of their nude photographs online.
The agency did not say what actions it was taking to investigate who was responsible for posting naked photos of Lawrence and other stars. Apple said Monday it was looking into whether its online photo-sharing service had been hacked to obtain the intimate images.
Lawrence, a three-time Oscar nominee who won for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook," contacted authorities after the images began appearing Sunday.
Naked images purporting to be of other female stars were also posted, although the authenticity of many couldn't be confirmed. The source of the leak was unclear.
"This is a flagrant violation of privacy," Lawrence's publicist Liz Mahoney wrote in a statement. "The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."
The FBI said it was "aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals, and is addressing the matter."
"Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time," spokeswoman Laura Eimiller wrote in a statement.
Apple Inc. spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said the company was investigating whether any iCloud accounts had been tampered with, but she did not give any further details.
"We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report," she said.
Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead also confirmed that nude photos of her were posted online.
"To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves," Winstead posted on Twitter. Winstead, who starred in "Final Destination 3" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," wrote that she thought the images had been destroyed.
"Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this," Winstead wrote.
The FBI has investigated previous leaks of nude celebrity images, including leaks involving Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera and footage of television sports reporter Erin Andrews in a Tennessee hotel room. Those cases resulted in convictions.
How widespread the hacking of celebrities photos was is not immediately clear. Some of the images were quickly denounced as fakes.
Some cybersecurity experts speculated that hackers may have obtained a cache of private celebrity images by exploiting weaknesses in an online image-storing platform.
"It is important for celebrities and the general public to remember that images and data no longer just reside on the device that captured it," security researcher Ken Westin wrote in a blog post Monday. "Once images and other data are uploaded to the cloud, it becomes much more difficult to control who has access to it, even if we think it is private."
Private information and images of celebrities are frequent targets for hackers. Last year, a site posted credit reports, Social Security numbers and other financial info on celebrities, including Jay Z and his wife Beyonce, Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher and many others.
Johansson, Kunis and Aguilera were hacked by a Florida man, Christopher Chaney, who used publicly available information to hack into the email accounts of more than 50 people in the entertainment industry.
"I have been truly humiliated and embarrassed," Johansson said in a tearful videotaped statement played in court at Chaney's sentencing in December 2012.
"That feeling of security can never be given back and there is no compensation that can restore the feeling one has from such a large invasion of privacy," Aguilera wrote in a statement before Chaney's sentencing.

How hotels are making billions off surcharges

A New York University professor revealed Monday hotels are expected to charge $2.25 billion in hotel fees this year, surcharges so devoid of customer value they often make the hotels a 90 percent profit.

And when we say devoid of value, we mean we're all getting screwed. The "Today" show's reporter had kinder words.

"The hotels have ripped a page right out of the playbook from the airline industry," NBC reporter Kerry Sanders said. "Twenty, $30, even $80 resort fees, hotel service fees."

Some examples? A hotel in Virginia charges guests for parking even if they don't bring their car. One Orlando hotel tacks on an extra $70 if you want to pick up a package from UPS or FedEx at the front desk.

In some cases, it's tough to tell what exactly you're being charged for. Some hotels in Vegas add a so-called "resort fee," whatever that means.

And it seems like everyone is repeating this same line:

"Well, when it comes to fees, hotels are becoming more like the airlines." one CBS anchor said.

That's likely because an Associated Press reporter who published one of the early stories on this study made the airline comparison in his first line. The comparisons aren't all that unfair, though. Because again, the fees are so common, some airlines champion it when they don't charge them.

"They're charging bag fees right out in the open. They're not even trying to hide it," a Southwest Airlines employee said.

However, for all the hate against airlines, the groups that might have us really hemorrhaging money are probably the ones handling our money.

In the world of processing fees and all the other complicated things banks and money lenders can stick to us, here are some of the worst.

Despite four in 10 prepaid banking card users saying they switched specifically to avoid overdrafts, those cards still incur heavy penalties for overdrafting. Salon reports they also have the standard fees for monthly maintenance, card activation and using them at ATMs.

The worst of all, though, goes after your life savings. MSN notes that the average total expense for small plan 401K's is 1.46 percent, and the outlet says even one percent is too high.

Here are a few tips to keep you from losing out to unnecessary fees when you're on the road:

Use a credit card and not debit card for travel purchases, assuming you can afford to pay off the entire balance. If someone doesn't give you notice they're going to charge fees, you can dispute the charge.

The International Business Times clued us into a travel site called The Suitest, a booking site that gives you information on resort fees, taxes and other fees before you get charged.

Finally, do your research. Ask a hotel in advance if they charge extra fees and read the agreement they give you before you book. The worst they can tell you is no if you ask for fees to be waived, and then you can always find another place to stay.

This video includes images from Getty Images, Nic McPhee / CC BY SA 2.0, Refracted Moments / CC BY 2.0.


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