Hot News: The Name Windows 10 Makes As Much Sense As Windows 8 Did

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/matthickey/files/2014/10/1.png" width="100%"/>Windows 10 - The Start menu is back!<br/><br />There's a lot of conversation as well as confusion today about Microsoft's announcement of its new version of Windows, especially in that it's branding it as Windows 10, even though the last version of Windows was 8 ( or 8.1, if one wanted to get technical, which we welcome).<br/><br />The thing is, Microsoft has never been consistent in how it names its flagship product. Generally speaking, operating system versions match those of the version of the central parts of the OS, often the kernel.<br/><br />Microsoft hasn't adhered to this for awhile. As an example, please take a look at this table of consumer Windows version numbers via Wikipedia. There are a lot more than ten of them, even with professional versions set aside. Windows 8 was really something like the actual Windows 7, but might as well have been called Windows Potato. It's never made sense, and that's OK.<br/><br />As can be seen in the table linked above, the current version should be something along the lines of Windows 6, or rather a version of it, instead of 10. Very similar to how Apple turned its OS efforts upside down with the introduction of OSX in the early 2000s, Windows saw a major revision in 2007 that its still building off of.<br/><br />That said, Windows 10 shouldn't be dusted under the rug as a rushed-to-production reactionary operating system; it's likely Microsoft knew of Windows 8s shortcomings and had contingency in place. Everything today makes it seem like Microsoft knows what its doing. Keep in mind, this will be the first release of the flagship product under the captainship of new CEO Satya Nadella, and it will likely be handled differently than those of his predecessor - and that's a good thing.<br/><br />The announcement mirrors the launch of a new Windows-optional MSN suite of services, another indication of Microsoft's new direction that appears to be going in the right direction. MSN is now distancing itself from some of its components like Bing and Cortana, both of which should play a large role in the new OS.<br/><br />And finally, to be fair, the last version of Windows really wasn't Windows 8 despite the name. And the next version really shouldn't be Windows 9. As best as we can tell via the included parts of the prior major releases it might be more accurate to call it Windows 12, because just like Microsoft, we're pretending that Windows ME and '98 Special Edition never existed in the first place.<br/><br />Post By http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2014/10/01/the-name-windows-10-makes-as-much-sense-as-windows-8-did/</div>

Hot News: The Name Windows 10 Makes As Much Sense As Windows 8 Did

Windows 10 - The Start menu is back! There's a lot of conversation as well as confusion today about Microsoft's announcement of its ...

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Hot News: Amanda Bynes -- Friends Waiting for Something Really Bad To Happen

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://ll-media.tmz.com/2014/09/30/0930-amanda-bynes-getty-3.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Amanda Bynes Friends Waiting for Something Really Bad to Happen<br/><br /><strong>Amanda Bynes</strong> can't get the help she needs until something really bad happens ... because her parents will not re-establish a conservatorship ... TMZ has learned.Multiple sources connected with the family tell TMZ ... Amanda's parents do NOT think she has a mental illness. As one source put it, 'They think she's a bratty kid who thumbs her nose at them and smokes a lot of pot.'We're told everyone around her parents are urging them to get the conservatorship, but so far no luck. That said, it's impossible to put Amanda on a 5150 psychiatric hold until she creates a substantial risk to herself or others. We're also told various professionals are trigger ready to get the 5150 if Amanda goes off the rails, and they believe it's only a matter of time.<br/><br />Post By http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/01/amanda-bynes-conservatorship-parents/</div>

Hot News: Amanda Bynes -- Friends Waiting for Something Really Bad To Happen

Amanda Bynes Friends Waiting for Something Really Bad to Happen Amanda Bynes can't get the help she needs until something really bad ha...

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Hot News: Don't panic over Ebola in America

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XRr6FcAjPEgAt7RH1LhfKvqmZ3Q=/cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2314820/doyouhaveebola_revised.0.png" width="100%"/><br/><br />The first thing to do is to calm down.<br/><br />Ebola is terrifying. But it's not likely to kill you, or to spread widely in the United States. What's scary - and hyped - about Ebola isn't what makes it dangerous.<br/><br />Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever. It kills about half of those who contract it. It sometimes, though not always, leads to uncontrollable bleeding. But it's difficult to contract. The only way to catch Ebola is to have direct contact with the bodily fluids - vomit, sweat, blood, feces, urine or saliva - of someone who has Ebola and has begun showing symptoms.<br/><br /><br/><br />Modern public-health systems can manage diseases that travel through bodily fluids. The techniques are laborious, but known. You isolate those who have contracted the disease, or might have contracted it. You find out who's been near them. You screen them for the disease. You isolate anyone who shows symptoms. You do this until the disease is stamped out. It works. And modern public-health systems know how to do it. not all public-heath systems are modern<br/><br />But not all public-heath systems are modern. This Ebola outbreak is concentrated in extremely poor countries with extremely weak health systems, like Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those countries lack the basic infrastructure - trained health workers, protective gear, isolation wards - needed to stop the disease. 'The tipping point was when there were more patients than isolation beds,' Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told me.<br/><br /><br/><br />When Ebola has edged into countries with stronger health systems, it's been stopped cold. Cases have been discovered in Senegal and Nigeria, but the countries managed to stop the spread of the disease. The Nigeria experience is particularly encouraging. As the New York Times reports:<br/><br />After the first patient - a dying Liberian-American - flew into Lagos on July 20, Ebola spread to 20 other people there and in a smaller city, Port Harcourt.<br/><br />They have all now died or recovered, and the cure rate - 60 percent - was unusually high for an African outbreak.<br/><br />Meanwhile, local health workers paid 18,500 face-to-face visits to repeatedly take the temperatures of nearly 900 people who had contact with them. The last confirmed case was detected Aug. 31, and virtually all contacts have passed the 21-day incubation period without falling ill.<br/><br />On average, Guinea spends $32 on health care per-person, per-year. Liberia spends $65. Nigeria spends $94.<br/><br />The United States spends $8,895.<br/><br />That money buys trained health workers, disease investigators, isolation wards, fever screening, protective gear, and much more. That money buys advanced hospitals all across the country, and labs that can quickly test for the disease, and the ability to do contact tracing and follow-up visits on a tremendous scale. That money also buys public-health officials with long experience combatting infectious diseases - both here and in other countries. ' There are still bodies being left overnight on the street'<br/><br />It's not just money, though. It's daily practices, both inside and outside of hospitals. In West Africa, Ebola is mainly spreading through unsafe caregiving burial practices. ' There are still bodies being left overnight on the street,' Frieden said.<br/><br />Those aren't problems in the United States. Bodies aren't left in the street overnight. People who die of Ebola won't be buried in public ceremonies where the corpse is touched by the grievers. American health-care workers have the gear and the training to provide care safely.<br/><br />Moreover, a big part of what's been so deadly about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is that the health-care systems are so overloaded - and due to poor sanitation, so dangerous to be in - that huge numbers of people are dying from non-Ebola causes. 'West Africa will see much more suffering and many more deaths during childbirth and from malaria, tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, enteric and respiratory illnesses, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health during and after the Ebola epidemic,' wrote disease researchers Jeremy Farrar, of the Wellcome Trust, and Peter Piot, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the New England Journal of Medicine.<br/><br />The problem with Ebola is stopping it in Africa, where cases continue to rise exponentially, and where health systems are already overwhelmed . The CDC estimates that 1.4 million people could be infected by January if swift action isn't taken to scale up the response. The medical and political consequences of that would be vast. 'This is more than a health crisis. This is a growing threat to regional and global security,' President Obama said at the United Nations.<br/><br />That said, while there can and will be cases of Ebola in the United States, the disease will be stopped here. Ebola is dangerous when it can overwhelm a health-care system, but it's nowhere close to being able to overwhelm the US health-care system. So if you live in America, worry about heart disease, or traffic accidents, or gun violence instead. Ebola is terrifying, but it's not likely to kill you.<br/><br />Post By http://www.vox.com/2014/9/30/6875459/calm-down-youre-not-going-to-get-ebola</div>

Hot News: Don't panic over Ebola in America

The first thing to do is to calm down. Ebola is terrifying. But it's not likely to kill you, or to spread widely in the United States. W...

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Hot News: Ebola is in the US. Here's how health officials will contain it.

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40541172/454224146.0.0_standard_234.0.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States. Officials should be able to contain any US outbreak pretty quickly<br/><br />The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has already infected thousands of people - including several Americans who were diagnosed there and then brought back to the United States for treatment. But this is the first person to be diagnosed with the disease inside US borders rather than abroad.<br/><br />It's not surprising that an Ebola case has finally popped up in the United States - especially with air travel as common as it is. But it's also not a disaster. Experts say that public-health officials would likely be able to contain any Ebola outbreak in the United States pretty quickly.<br/><br />Why is that? Partly because Ebola is not very contagious, as diseases go. You can only get it by coming in direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is already showing symptoms. That makes it relatively slow to spread.<br/><br />What's more, unlike in West Africa, where Ebola has already killed about 3,000 people, the United States has ample health resources and infection control measures to contain an outbreak. Here's a rundown of how US public-health officials would respond to any outbreak: 1) The first 24 hours: Identify the outbreak<br/><br />Ebola is most likely to arrive in the United States via an infected person flying from West Africa who doesn't even realize he or she is carrying the disease. Ebola can incubate in a person's body anywhere from two days to three weeks before symptoms emerge. The good news? This person is not If health officials realize a person has Ebola early on, they should be able to limit the spread<br/><br />Once an initial Ebola patient starts feeling sick, the person will probably seem at first like he or she has the flu or traveler's diarrhea. (Some of the more famous symptoms of Ebola, like bleeding from orifices, don't tend to come on until later, and only affect about half of cases.)<br/><br />And even when the patient starts showing symptoms, the disease is still relatively hard to transmit. Ebola doesn't spread through the air, and it's harder to catch than things like the flu. You can't get it just from being on the same plane or in the same public space. The only way to get Ebola is to touch a patient's bodily fluids, like vomit, diarrhea, sweat, saliva, or blood.<br/><br />Once a patient starts showing symptoms, speed and public awareness plays a big role. If health workers realize that this might be Ebola early on, other people should be able to avoid getting infected by keeping away from the patient's bodily fluids.<br/><br />Unfortunately, in West Africa, Ebola had spread for three months before anyone actually identified the disease - which is partly why the disease spread so quickly.<br/><br />2) The next step: Isolate the patient<br/><br />In US hospitals, any suspected case of Ebola should be treated as a potential risk until tests come back negative. The CDC has said that the patient in Texas, who has by now tested positive, is in 'strict isolation,' which is exactly what needs to happen.<br/><br />Standard procedures to protect other patients and health-care workers from the patient's bodily fluids will also be put into place. Because Ebola doesn't hang out in the air, hospital workers won't necessarily have to wear respirators or what you might think of as full <i>Outbreak</i> gear. However, they will protect their body and face from fluids that might splash on them, using things like gowns or full body suits, masks, gloves, and goggles.<br/><br />Anything that touches the patient will be sterilized or disposed of in a safe manner. And if the patient dies, the body will be carefully handled so that it won't be a danger to anyone, either. The death rate for the current outbreak is roughly 50 percent, although good health care in the US might lead to better outcomes than that.<br/><br />Unfortunately, West Africa lacks many of these protections - which is one reason why the disease has spread so quickly there. Many health-care workers have gotten infected, likely because the rules aren't followed as closely. For instance, hospital workers who are supposed to wearprotective suits may be taking them off when the weather climbs past 100°F, explained Michael Osterholm, of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota . But US hospitals are more climate controlled, he says, and even that small difference makes a breach less likely. 3) Then, track down other potential patients<br/><br />Detective work is a major part of controlling a disease like Ebola. Experts will interview the patient, the patient's relatives, and other potential close contacts to monitor them and make sure that they don't spread the disease to others if they have it.<br/><br />Officials will then suggest various options for these people, depending on the level of risk, including watching and waiting, isolation at home, and testing for infection.<br/><br />Tracking down contacts has been especially problematic in West Africa in ways that are unlikely to happen in the US. An editorial in the major medical journal <i>The Lancet</i> says 'The geographical spread of cases and movement of people in and between the three countries presents a huge challenge in tracing those who might be infected.' And the World Health Organization says that 'low coverage of contact tracing' is one key problem it uncovered in a recent assessment the Ebola response in Liberia. 4) Keep patients in the hospital until they're not a threat<br/><br />It's important to remember that roughly 50 percent of the patients in this Ebola outbreak have survived. There's no specific pill or shot that will make an Ebola infection go away, but doctors can try to make the patient comfortable, give IV fluids, and treat symptoms. (There are also some experimental treatments, but their efficacy is still unknown.)<br/><br />To prevent Ebola from spreading, health authorities won't release a patient from the hospital until it's clear that the person has cleared the virus from the body, has tested negative, and won't be a danger to others.<br/><br />This might seem intuitive, but it hasn't always happened in West Africa. For example, the BBC reports that there are several missing patients in Sierra Leone - where some people don't trust that medical care will help them. That, obviously, increases the odds that the outbreak will spread. The best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario<br/><br />The best-case scenario is that someone coming back from West Africa realizes that they might possibly have Ebola as soon as they start feeling sick. Everyone makes sure not to touch this person's vomit, sweat, diarrhea, or other fluids. And the outbreak ends with just one patient.<br/><br />The worst-case scenario is that this person is ill for days and in contact with a whole lot of people before anyone realizes that something unusual is going on and brings this person to a hospital. But it's still unlikely that Ebola will get farther than a local problem in one city or town. Even in the worst case scenario, 'I don't think we'll have a serious public health threat in any of the developed countries,' Osterholm told me in July. For more on the basics of the Ebola outbreak, check out 14 things you need to know about Ebola.<br/><br />Post By http://www.vox.com/2014/9/30/6875325/ebola-virus-outbreak-case-diagnosed-us</div>

Hot News: Ebola is in the US. Here's how health officials will contain it.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States. Officials shoul...

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Hot News: Inside Amanda Bynes's New Troubles

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://img2-2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/141013/amanda-bynes-1-435.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />09/30/2014 AT 06:00 PM EDT<br/><br />Amanda Bynes's latest DUI arrest comes at the tail end of a string of erratic behavior.<br/><br />'It's very obvious that she is not 100 percent well,' a source who saw Bynes at her Thousand Oaks gym over the summer tells PEOPLE. 'She is still obsessed with her body and spends more time in front of the mirror than she actually works out. She doesn't like when people look at her and has even confronted a few other members.'<br/><br />A second source adds that she appeared to be unhappy about being under her parents' court-ordered conservatorship.<br/><br />'Her parents were closely monitoring her, including her driving,' says the source of Bynes, who got her license back in April. 'She would have arguments with her dad in the car.'<br/><br />The conservatorship ended in June, according to her father, Rick Bynes, who told x17 he has not seen his daughter since.<br/><br />'She's 28, she does what she wants,' he said. 'We don't know a thing.'<br/><br />Several Twitter users spotted Bynes leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport and heading back to Los Angeles on Sept. 25.<br/><br />'Amanda Bynes, with ridiculous purple hair, is at the gate freaking out about her missed flight to LA,' Jason Persse Tweeted. 'Get me the hell out of JFK.'<br/><br />As for Bynes's current whereabouts, she had been enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, but a source says she hasn't recently been spotted attending classes.<br/><br />Representatives for Bynes could not be reached for comment.<br/><br />* Reporting by PERNILLA CEDENHEIM<br/><br />Post By http://www.people.com/article/amanda-bynes-arrested-dui-legal-troubles</div>

Hot News: Inside Amanda Bynes's New Troubles

09/30/2014 AT 06:00 PM EDT Amanda Bynes's latest DUI arrest comes at the tail end of a string of erratic behavior. 'It's very ob...

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Hot News: Michael Wekerle's Porsche 918 Spyder burns at Caledon gas station

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2781641.1412017744!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/michael-wekerle-in-porsche-918-spyder.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />A pricey Porsche went up in flames at a gas station northwest of Toronto, leaving one of the judges of Dragons' Den in search of a new ride.<br/><br />The silver-coloured Porsche 918 Spyder caught on fire Sunday night at an Esso gas station in Caledon, Ont., near Hurontario Street and King Street.<br/><br />Some people driving by captured video of the burning sports car.<br/><br />The video was posted online and can be viewed at the top of this page. Mobile users can click here to watch it.<br/><br />Witnesses say the fire began after the gas overflowed and then ignited from the vehicle's exhaust heat.<br/><br />The car belonged to Michael Wekerle, one of the judges on CBC Television's Dragons' Den.<br/><br />Wekerle was not injured in the fire. The car was totalled.<br/><br />The burned-out car has been towed to Wekerle's nearby Caledon property. He had paid $900,000 US for the vehicle and taken possession of it on Sept. 3.<br/><br />Post By http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/michael-wekerle-s-porsche-918-spyder-burns-at-caledon-gas-station-1.2781633</div>

Hot News: Michael Wekerle's Porsche 918 Spyder burns at Caledon gas station

A pricey Porsche went up in flames at a gas station northwest of Toronto, leaving one of the judges of Dragons' Den in search of a new r...

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Hot News: Amanda Bynes -- Parents Knew Nothing of Arrest ... No Idea Where She Is Now

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://ll-media.tmz.com/2014/09/30/0930-amanda-bynes-parents-pcn-3.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />The parents of <strong>Amanda Bynes</strong> are in the dark about <strong>their daughter's arrest</strong> and have no idea where she is or what she's been doing since her conservatorship ended. Bynes' father Rick said he and his wife learned about Amanda's arrest from the media ... they weren't the ones who bailed her out. Rick repeatedly said, 'We we don't know,' when asked about Amanda. It's interesting ... Rick said he thought his daughter might be in New York, but TMZ has learned she's staying in the Hollywood area right now. As TMZ first reported, Amanda moved out of her parents' house once the conservatorship ended earlier this month ... but many people close to Amanda feel it was a terrible mistake not to extend it. We're told Amanda is smoking a lot of weed and is off her anti-psychotic meds for Schizophrenia and bipolarity.We're also told she was busted for DUI because she was under the influence of Adderall.<br/><br />Post By http://www.tmz.com/2014/09/30/amanda-bynes-arrest-dui-parents-adderall-video/</div>

Hot News: Amanda Bynes -- Parents Knew Nothing of Arrest ... No Idea Where She Is Now

The parents of Amanda Bynes are in the dark about their daughter's arrest and have no idea where she is or what she's been doing s...

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Hot News: Taylor Swift sued for diva demands

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2014/09/30/1227075/131609-dea2fdfa-482f-11e4-a514-3305f3826c2d.jpg" width="100%"/><strong>TAYLOR SWIFT made diva demands of her chauffeurs over the summer - then stuck the driving service with the bill after suddenly dumping the company, according to a lawsuit.</strong><br/><br />The company claims Swift, 24, even issued instructions on when it was appropriate for drivers to speak to her.<br/><br />APG Security says it was hired as a contractor by Swift's management firm, Firefly Entertainment, in June to drive the 'Shake It Off' singer and her entourage around town.<br/><br />A month into the job, Firefly's director of security, Ryan Malutinok, handed over a 'list of issues' that APG 'was supposed to 'remedy as soon as possible,'' the suit says. BFFs: Taylor Swift is pining for her gal pal Lorde<br/><br />Among the Grammy winner's demands?<br/><br />'Provisions APG was supposed to have in the vehicle when transporting Ms. Swift.' And 'under what circumstances they could speak to her,' according to court papers.<br/><br />The suit does not detail the specifics of her orders.<br/><br />The next day, Swift added to her list that she wanted two more Chevy Suburban SUVs in addition to the Chevy Tahoe that sat ready outside her $20 million Tribeca apartment.<br/><br />The extra vehicles cost APG about $2,000 per month.<br/><br />But shortly after APG signed leases for the cars, Firefly ditched the contract on July 22, the suit says.<br/><br />Firefly has refused to purchase the vehicles or reimburse APG for its losses, according to court papers.<br/><br />Swift's spokesman did not immediately return a message.<br/><br />Post By http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/taylor-swift-sued-by-her-limo-drivers-for-refusing-to-pay-the-bill-and-acting-like-a-diva/story-fnk822dn-1227075131715</div>

Hot News: Taylor Swift sued for diva demands

TAYLOR SWIFT made diva demands of her chauffeurs over the summer - then stuck the driving service with the bill after suddenly dumping the c...

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Hot News: Luka Magnotta trial: How many details do you want to be told?

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://vipmedia.globalnews.ca/2014/09/04232919217715_high.jpg?w=282&h=188&crop=1" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />;<br/><br />TORONTO - In the first day of trial, Luka Magnotta admitted to the 2012 slaying of Jun Lin, but pleaded not guilty citing mental illness.<br/><br /><strong>READ MORE:</strong> What is Not Criminally Responsible?<br/><br />During the Crown's opening statements, Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier told the jury they'd see graphic photos collected from the Montreal apartment where Magnotta committed the murder, as well as the graphic video.<br/><br />But what the effect of such images will be on the jurors-and the public reading and watching the trial through various news outlets-remains to be seen.<br/><br />'There is some pretty good research out of the States which says if there is going to be an impact of any kind, then it is probably most related to the really heinous images, because it's really hard to unsee that image,' said Tara Burke, an associate professor of psychology at Ryerson University.<br/><br />Though Burke studies pre-trail publicity and how graphic images impact a juror's decision-making perspective, she says some of the research also applies to the general public.<br/><br />'There's also good evidence that jurors might remember those gruesome or graphic details more than things that seem more mundane-that's just human nature,' she said.<br/><br />'It's compelling, it's hard not to be thinking about it, you're rehearsing that information in your mind, you're going over it and over it because perhaps it's so shocking, which makes it more likely you're going to remember it.'<br/><br />Burke said most people have never seen such images before, and referenced serial killer Paul Bernardo's trial, after which some jurors had to have counselling because it was so traumatic.<br/><br />But she pointed out significant differences between Magnotta and Bernardo media coverage: The publication ban in Canada during the Bernardo trial meant people looked to the U.S. for information, and allowed for rumours to multiply.<br/><br />'I know there were some people who sought out the Magnotta video, but a lot of people thought: 'Why would I watch that?' There wasn't a need, let's say, to go and find it -people knew it was there. Whereas in Bernardo, they didn't have information so they were looking for any source of it,' she said.<br/><br />'I think in the Magnotta case [with] videos online, there were various packages being mailed -I think the public had a greater awareness of that case compared to Bernardo.'<br/><br />So we asked our Twitter and Facebook followers what they thought about reading the details, and received some quite divided feedback on where people stand. Read through a selection of comments below and feel free to leave your own feedback.<br/><br />Some people were on the fence:<br/><br />Laurie Satenstein Sendel wrote: 'I feel torn, on one hand I believe part of him wanted all the attention his trial will be getting, rather l am curious to hear what he has to say.'<br/><br />@bluidvixen tweeted:<br/><br />There were some readers who felt it was important to have all the details available:<br/><br />Lloyd Field wrote: 'I'd love to know more so I can avoid this happening to me or my loved ones. Stay informed.'<br/><br />'Give me the whole story or don't bother with anything. We as responsible people are fully capable of censoring our own information intake,' wrote Brent Eddy.<br/><br />'I love the details and getting into the minds of other people. It's thought-provoking and insightful. If people don't want to know the details, they won't read on. If they do, let them,' said Austin Fisher.<br/><br />Nathalie Daze-Lemieux wrote she'd be interested in reading psychiatrist testimony to know 'what could possibly drive' Magnotta to commit the murder, and @EMB428 tweeted:<br/><br />But many Facebook readers didn't want to be told any of the details:<br/><br />Katie Clunn: 'He doesn't deserve to be making the news. Don't tell us anything except his sentence. I feel awful for the jurors having to listen and see what they're about to witness.'<br/><br />Alanna Coffey: 'I want to know as little as possible about his sick twisted mind. I already have learned way too much and it has scarred me for life.'<br/><br />Heather K. McQueen: 'I don't mind a few details but sensationalism and daily reminders about the nuances of any trial is just... wrong imo [in my opinion].'<br/><br />Kimmy Ferguson: 'Nothing. There is nothing the average citizen can do to affect the outcome of this trial and spreading the details of the crime, and by extension his infamy, just feeds into the reasons the crime was committed in the first place. The details of these crimes (which he has admitted to committing) are not something I want as part of my day and I'll be dropping news sources from my FB feed if they start reporting the details.'<br/><br />Joyce Robinson: 'That name is being glorified by the media too much. please stop? the public just wants to know the outcome of the trial and that's it - we don't need a day by day account. Thank you for asking, Global News.'<br/><br />© Shaw Media, 2014<br/><br />Post By http://globalnews.ca/news/1588698/luka-magnotta-trial-how-many-details-do-you-want-to-be-told/</div>

Hot News: Luka Magnotta trial: How many details do you want to be told?

; TORONTO - In the first day of trial, Luka Magnotta admitted to the 2012 slaying of Jun Lin, but pleaded not guilty citing mental illness. ...

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Best External Rechargeable Battery Charging Kickstand

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><center><br /><h2>Best Slim External Rechargeable Backup Battery Charger Charging Case Cover for iPhone 5c with Pop-Out Kickstand 2200mAh (pink)</h2><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href='http://tinyurl.com/kx8hwev' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img alt="Slim External" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41bLCZXY9RL._SL2000_.jpg" vspace="0"/> </a> </center><br /><br/><br /><div style='clear:both;text-align:center;' class='separator'><a href='http://tinyurl.com/kx8hwev' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img border="0" height="53" src="http://goo.gl/l551sS" width="320"/> </a> </div><br /><br/><br /><h3>This is My Opinion About This Product</h3><br /><br/><br />After I buy this New Slim External Rechargeable Backup Battery Charger Charging Case Cover for iPhone 5c with Pop-Out Kickstand 2200mAh (blue) (Wireless Phone Accessory)<br /><div class='reviewText'>this case is great for the price. it charges the phone quickly and isn't that bulky. my favorite thing about this case is when you have the case on your phone and you plug it into the charger and click the button on the back, it charges both the phone and the case! works great!</div><br /></div>

Best External Rechargeable Battery Charging Kickstand

Best Slim External Rechargeable Backup Battery Charger Charging Case Cover for iPhone 5c with Pop-Out Kickstand 2200mAh (pink) This is M...

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Hot News: Luka Magnotta video showed a second man tied to bed the week before Jun ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/3b4b4027b86b17a99d4f891e09e22130?s=34&d=mm" width="100%"/><img height="300" src="http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/crime_magnotta_20140929.jpg?w=620" width="100%"/><br/><br />MONTREAL _ The judge hearing Luka Rocco Magnotta's first-degree murder trial has told the jurors that the accused has admitted to the slaying of Chinese student Jun Lin.<br/><br />Quebec Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer advised the jurors this morning their task will be to determine Magnotta's state of mind when he committed the murder.<br/><br />The judge's comments came shortly after Magnotta pleaded not guilty again to five charges in connection with Lin's death in May 2012.<br/><br />Magnotta entered the pleas in a Montreal courtroom this morning as his first-degree murder trial began.<br/><br />A bilingual eight-woman, six-man jury is hearing the case and a dozen of them will be chosen to deliberate on a final verdict.<br/><br />Quebec Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer is addressing the jury.<br/><br />The charges against Magnotta are first-degree murder; committing an indignity to a body; publishing obscene material; criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of Parliament; and mailing obscene and indecent material.<br/><br />Lin's father, Diran Lin, is in the courtroom this morning along with a lawyer and translator.<br/><br />Magnotta is wearing a grey sweater, dark pants and dark-rimmed glasses. He appears heavier than when he was arrested in June 2012.<br/><br />Post By http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/29/magnotta-pleads-not-guilty-again-as-first-degree-murder-trial-begins/</div>

Hot News: Luka Magnotta video showed a second man tied to bed the week before Jun ...

MONTREAL _ The judge hearing Luka Rocco Magnotta's first-degree murder trial has told the jurors that the accused has admitted to the sl...

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Hot News: The anger behind the Hong Kong uprising, in one chart

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VzGQnWVxlljTi2SN_GSyCIqgE0Q=/cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1406062/hongkongconfidencegraph.0.png" width="100%"/><br/><br />The huge protests in Hong Kong are about a number of thing, but the most central is the question of whether or not Hong Kongers trust Beijing to stick to its promises to respect Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms. According to a long-running poll from the University of Hong Kong, trust in Hong Kong's political arrangement with China has fallen to an all-time low. That helps explain why these protests are erupting now, and why they're so huge.<br/><br />The poll asks Hong Kongers about their confidence in the ' One Country, Two Systems' policy, which has granted Hong Kong its unusual autonomy and nominal democracy ever since it left British control for China in 1997. The more confident Hong Kongers are in this system, the more faith they have in its ability to secure their rights. And today, confidence in the system - and in Beijing's adherence to it - is plunging:<br/><br /><br/><br />Why is faith in Hong Kong's arrangement with China plummeting? It's in large part because the Chinese government is demonstrating itself to be increasingly authoritarian - both in Hong Kong and on the mainland.<br/><br />The central government has been sending signals that it wants Hong Kong to look more like the mainland for a while. For instance, in 2012, the Chinese central government attempted to impose so-called 'patriotic curricula' on Hong Kong schools. That meant Hong Kong students would be taught the same censored history of China as mainlanders. A wave of student proposals defeated the proposal, laying some groundwork for today's protest movement.<br/><br />This history of struggle came to a head in July of this year, when the Chinese government issued a 'white paper' essentially arguing that Hong Kong's civil liberties weren't inherent rights, but privileges granted by the central government. The Communist Party made good on the implied threat to limit Hong Kong's freedoms in August, when it announced that candidates for the 2017 election, meant to be the first fully democratic election in Hong Kong's history, would need to be approved by a pro-Beijing committee. This violated Beijing's promise for those elections to be free and democratic, infuriating Hong Kongers. This controversy was the immediate cause of the ongoing uprising.<br/><br />But there are also problems on the mainland.<br/><br />In the last couple of years, there's been 'a very disturbing pattern' in Beijing's approach to democracy and human rights on the mainland, according to UC-Irvine historian of China James Wasserstrom. 'Until five years ago,' Wasserstrom says, it looked like China was heading in the direction of 'slightly more freedom of speech, slightly more freedom for cutting edge journalism, [and] space for moderate activists, like human rights lawyers, to operate.'<br/><br />But since then, China has been cracking down even more than usual. This stiffening opposition to democratic reform on the mainland, according to Wasserstrom, has made Hong Kongers deeply skeptical of the Chinese government's intentions toward their own democracy.<br/><br />'If you cared already about maintaining the difference between your territory and the rest of China, and the rest of China is undergoing a kind of political chill, then protecting the difference becomes even more important to you,' Wasserstrom says.<br/><br />Post By http://www.vox.com/2014/9/29/6865681/one-chart-that-explains-the-protests-in-hong-kong</div>

Hot News: The anger behind the Hong Kong uprising, in one chart

The huge protests in Hong Kong are about a number of thing, but the most central is the question of whether or not Hong Kongers trust Beijin...

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Hot News: Taylor Swift Sued -- Chauffeurs Can Only Speak to Me Sometimes

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://ll-media.tmz.com/2014/09/29/0929-taylor-swift-tmz-4.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Taylor Swift Sued Chauffeurs Can Only Speak to Me Sometimes<br/><br /><strong>Taylor Swift</strong> apparently needed a motorcade normally reserved for heads of state ... and she wanted to be treated like one ... this according to a new lawsuit.Taylor's company made a deal this past June with a chauffeur service to whisk her around NYC. The company made all sorts of demands, including guidelines on when the driver was allowed to talk to Taylor.But it didn't stop there. Taylor's director of security told the chauffeur service to get 2 additional whips. The service obliged, by leasing 2, brand spanking new Chevy Suburban SUVs.So imagine the chauffeur's dismay when 3 weeks after making the various demands Taylor's people pulled the plug, leaving the limo company holding the bag on the lease.The chauffeurs are now suing Taylor's company for all sorts of losses.Her company is radio silent ... it's unclear if they were allowed to speak with her for comment.<br/><br />Post By http://www.tmz.com/2014/09/29/taylor-swift-sued-limo-chauffeur-demands/</div>

Hot News: Taylor Swift Sued -- Chauffeurs Can Only Speak to Me Sometimes

Taylor Swift Sued Chauffeurs Can Only Speak to Me Sometimes Taylor Swift apparently needed a motorcade normally reserved for heads of state...

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Hot News: Hong Kong's protesters are using the same "hands up, don't shoot" gesture used ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40355578/456271070.0.0_standard_234.0.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />If you're an American and you've been watching the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong closely, you may have noticed something familiar: a number of the young demonstrators are using the same ' hands up, don't shoot' gesture that became a symbol of last month's protests in faraway Ferguson, Missouri.<br/><br />Hong Kong 'hands up, don't shoot' emulation of Ferguson protests is such a powerful image: pic.twitter.com/1Sk27MO1Y2 - Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor) September 28, 2014<br/><br />Hong Kong's protesters have good reason to put their hands up: police are using what many observers describe as an unprecedented level of force against the demonstrations, which are rallying against the Chinese government for reneging on its promise to grant them full democracy in 2017. While injuries in the protests have been relatively few so far, the clashes have been bad enough that Hong Kongers appear to earnestly fear the police might crack down violently, and that anxiety is showing in these photos.<br/><br />.@attorneycrump Will you please show this to #MikeBrown's parents &let them know that he changed the WORLD! #HongKong pic.twitter.com/3u4FOSnp7x - AM (@peaceful_birdie) September 28, 2014<br/><br />It's impossible to say the degree to which protesters are using the gesture as a deliberate nod to Ferguson, or borrowing something they'd seen on the news for their own purposes, or using it coincidentally. But Hong Kongers, particularly young Hong Kongers, pride themselves on being plugged in to the world, so it is well within the realm of possibility that they followed the events in Ferguson and are now appropriating the gesture for their own use. Some of the protesters are organized within a group called Occupy Central, named for Hong Kong's Central financial district and for the global protest movement that began with Occupy Wall Street.<br/><br />These images from Hong Kong with young protestors being gassed, with their hands up, just like Ferguson are AMAZING. pic.twitter.com/hbfuJS6jEc - Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 28, 2014<br/><br />It's fascinating to see a symbol of the fight against racism and police violence in America become a symbol of democracy and freedom halfway around the world, however it got there.<br/><br />Related: The 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' images from Ferguson.<br/><br />Post By http://www.vox.com/2014/9/28/6860493/hong-kong-protests-mike-brown-ferguson</div>

Hot News: Hong Kong's protesters are using the same "hands up, don't shoot" gesture used ...

If you're an American and you've been watching the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong closely, you may have noticed something famil...

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Best 4200mAh External Battery Backup Charger

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><center><br /><h2>Best 4200mAh External Battery Backup Charger Case Pack Power Bank for iPhone 5 5s 5c</h2><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href='http://tinyurl.com/n2r8x6o' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img alt="4200mAh External" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41b4ZQ6SN9L._SL2000_.jpg" vspace="0"/> </a> </center><br /><br/><br /><div style='clear:both;text-align:center;' class='separator'><a href='http://tinyurl.com/n2r8x6o' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img border="0" height="53" src="http://goo.gl/l551sS" width="320"/> </a> </div><br /><br/></div>

Best 4200mAh External Battery Backup Charger

Best 4200mAh External Battery Backup Charger Case Pack Power Bank for iPhone 5 5s 5c

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Best 3500mAh External Battery Portable Rechargeable

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><center><br /><h2>Best For iphone 6 Black 3500mAh External Battery 4.7" Case Charger Portable Charger Battery Back Up Power Bank Rechargeable Power Case with Stand 4.7inch for iphone 6</h2><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href='http://tinyurl.com/kld2lkp' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img alt="For iphone" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-IHM%2BHvKL._SL2000_.jpg" vspace="0"/> </a> </center><br /><br/><br /><div style='clear:both;text-align:center;' class='separator'><a href='http://tinyurl.com/kld2lkp' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img border="0" height="53" src="http://goo.gl/l551sS" width="320"/> </a> </div><br /><br/></div>

Best 3500mAh External Battery Portable Rechargeable

Best For iphone 6 Black 3500mAh External Battery 4.7" Case Charger Portable Charger Battery Back Up Power Bank Rechargeable Power Case ...

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Hot News: Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters resist calls to disperse

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2780882.1411965971!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/hongkong-china.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Pro-democracy protesters, some wearing surgical masks and holding up umbrellas to protect against tear gas, expanded their rallies throughout Hong Kong on Monday, defying calls to disperse in a major pushback against Beijing's decision to limit democratic reforms in the Asian financial hub.<br/><br />Police officers tried to negotiate with protesters camped out on a normally busy highway near the Hong Kong government headquarters that was the scene of tear gas-fuelled clashes that erupted the evening before.<br/><br />An officer with a bullhorn tried to get them to clear the way for the commuters. A protester, using the group's own speaker system, responded by saying that they wanted Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to demand a genuine choice for the territory's voters.<br/><br />'Do something good for Hong Kong. We want real democracy!' he shouted.<br/><br />China has called the protests illegal and endorsed the Hong Kong government's crackdown. The clashes - images of which have been beamed around the world - are undermining Hong Kong's image as a safe financial haven, and raised the stakes of the face-off against President Xi Jinping's government. Beijing has taken a hard line against threats to the Communist Party's monopoly on power, including clamping down on dissidents and Muslim Uighur separatists in the country's far west.<br/><br />The mass protests are the strongest challenge yet to Beijing's decision last month to reject open nominations for candidates under proposed guidelines for the first-ever elections for Hong Kong's leader, promised for 2017. Instead, candidates must continue to be hand-picked by Beijing - a move that many residents viewed as reneging on promises to allow greater democracy in the semi-autonomous territory.<br/><br />With rumours swirling, the Beijing-backed and deeply unpopular Leung reassured the public that speculation that the Chinese army might intervene was untrue.<br/><br />'I hope the public will keep calm. Don't be misled by the rumours. Police will strive to maintain social order, including ensuring smooth traffic and ensuring the public safety,' Leung said. 'When they carry out their duties, they will use their maximum discretion.'<br/><br />The protest has been spearheaded largely but student-age activists but has gathered momentum among a broad range of people from high school students to the elderly. Protests throttle traffic<br/><br />Protesters also occupied streets in other parts of Hong Kong Island, including the upscale shopping area of Causeway Bay as well as across the harbour in densely populated Mong Kok on the Kowloon peninsula. The city's transport department said roads in those areas were closed.<br/><br />More than 200 bus routes have been cancelled or diverted in a city dependent on public transport. Subway exits have also been closed or blocked near protest area. Authorities said some schools in areas near the main protest site would be closed.<br/><br />Leung urged people to go home, obey the law and avoid causing trouble.<br/><br />'We don't want Hong Kong to be messy,' he said as he read a statement that was broadcast early Monday.<br/><br />That came hours after police lobbed canisters of tear gas into the crowd on Sunday evening. The searing fumes sent demonstrators fleeing, though many came right back to continue their protest. The government said 26 people were taken to hospitals.<br/><br />To ward off tear gas, demonstrators improvised with homemade defences such as plastic wrap, which they used to cover their face and arms, as well as umbrellas, goggles and surgical masks.<br/><br />The protests began with a class boycott last week by students urging Beijing to grant genuine democratic reforms to this former British colony.<br/><br />'This is a long fight,' business and law student Edward Yau, 19, said overnight. 'The government has to understand that we have the ability to undo it if they continue to treat us like we are terrorists.'<br/><br />When China took control of Hong Kong from the British in 1997, it agreed to a policy of 'one country, two systems' that allowed the city a high degree of control over its own affairs and kept in place liberties unseen on the mainland. It also promised the city's leader would eventually be chosen through 'universal suffrage.'<br/><br />Hong Kong's residents have long felt their city stood apart from mainland China thanks to those civil liberties and separate legal and financial systems.<br/><br />Beijing's insistence on using a committee to screen candidates on the basis of their patriotism to China - similar to the one that currently hand-picks Hong Kong's leaders - has stoked fears among pro-democracy groups that Hong Kong will never get genuine democracy.<br/><br />University students began their class boycotts over a week ago and say they will continue them until officials meet their demands for reforming the local legislature and withdrawing the proposal to screen election candidates.<br/><br />Students and activists had been camped out since late Friday on streets outside the government complex. Sunday's clashes arose when police sought to block thousands of people from entering the protest zone. Protesters spilled onto a busy highway, bringing traffic to a standstill. Calls for chief executive Leung to resign<br/><br />In a statement issued after midnight, the Hong Kong police said rumours that they had used rubber bullets to try to disperse protesters were 'totally untrue.'<br/><br />Police in blue jumpsuits, wearing helmets and respirators, doused protesters with pepper spray when they tried to rip metal barricades apart.<br/><br />Thousands of people breached a police cordon Sunday as they tried to join the sit-in, spilling out onto a busy highway and bringing traffic to a standstill.<br/><br />Although students started the rally, leaders of the broader Occupy Central civil disobedience movement joined them early Sunday, saying they wanted to kick-start a long-threatened mass sit-in demanding Hong Kong's top leader be elected without Beijing's interference.<br/><br />Occupy Central issued a statement Monday calling on Leung to resign and saying his 'non-response to the people's demands has driven Hong Kong into a crisis of disorder.' The statement added that the protest was now 'a spontaneous movement' of all Hong Kong people.<br/><br />Police said they had arrested 78 people. They also took away several pro-democracy legislators who were among the demonstrators, but later released them.<br/><br />A police statement said the officers 'have exercised restraint and performed their duties in a highly professional manner.' It urged the public to not occupy roads so that emergency vehicles can get through.<br/><br />Among the dozens arrested was 17-year-old Joshua Wong, who was dragged away soon after he led a group of students storming the government complex. Wong is a leader of the activist group Scholarism, which organized protests two years ago that forced the government to drop proposed Chinese national curriculum guidelines seen as brainwashing. He was released Sunday evening.<br/><br />Post By http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/hong-kong-pro-democracy-protesters-resist-calls-to-disperse-1.2780879</div>

Hot News: Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters resist calls to disperse

Pro-democracy protesters, some wearing surgical masks and holding up umbrellas to protect against tear gas, expanded their rallies throughou...

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Hot News: Derek Jeter Plays Final Game at a Friendly Fenway Park

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/09/29/sports/jeter-see-note/jeter-see-note-master675.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />BOSTON - Sunlight bathed the field when Derek Jeter came to bat Sunday for the last time in the major leagues. Only the home plate area, from which Jeter stared down Boston starter Clay Buchholz, was in shadows.<br/><br />Jeter took a strike and a ball, smacked a ball foul and then beat a 93-mile-an-hour fastball off the plate.<br/><br />The ball hung in the air for three seconds. The third baseman leapt for it and tipped it with his bare hand. The ball fell to the Fenway Park grass as Jeter raced through first base, with no throw. This was his 3,465th and final hit, a figure surpassed by only five others in history.<br/><br />Jeter already had his magic moment on Thursday, in his Yankee Stadium finale, when he played shortstop for the last time and singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. He could have sat out this series, like the Red Sox great Ted Williams, who homered in his last at-bat at Fenway, in 1960, and did not even travel to New York to wrap up the year.<br/><br />But Jeter said he owed it to the fans here, and the teams' rivalry, to make an appearance. He went 1 for 2 on Saturday and again on Sunday, each hit an infield single that found its way to a Boston rookie named Garin Cecchini.<br/><br />Cecchini was barely a year old when the Yankees drafted Jeter in 1992. He grew up in Louisiana, as a shortstop, and Jeter was his favorite player. He wears No. 70, the digits of a player who still must prove himself. It happens to be the number the Yankees assigned Jeter in spring training the year before he made the majors.<br/><br />'He's a guy you respect and you kind of want to idolize because everyone liked him,' Cecchini said. 'And he was a winner. He's won a lot of games, won championships. That's all you want to be recognized as in this sport: a winner.'<br/><br />The Yankees won five titles with Jeter, and the Red Sox won three during his career. This season, neither team made the playoffs. Given the standings, and the gripping finale in the Bronx, the weekend had the feeling of a bonus track on a masterpiece album, the way the Beatles tacked 'Her Majesty,' a brief aside, on to the soaring medley that otherwise closed out 'Abbey Road.'<br/><br />Few of the game's grand figures go out in style. Mickey Mantle - 46 years ago to the day, also at Fenway Park - popped out to shortstop in the first inning and never played again. Yogi Berra finished with a fielder's choice groundout for the Mets in 1965. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth went hitless in their final games, in the 1930s.<br/><br />Jeter's last hit did not go far, but it nudged his career average up a point, to .310, where it will sit forever. He finished with 1,923 runs scored - an evocative number in the history of the Yankees, who won their first title in 1923 - and nobody ever started more games at shortstop than Jeter's 2,660.<br/><br />With two hits on Sunday, Jeter could have tied Ty Cobb's record for most seasons of 150 hits, with 18. Manager Joe Girardi told him of the possibility on Sunday morning, he said, believing it was his obligation. Jeter was not swayed. His plan was to bat twice and take the results, whatever they were.<br/><br />'I never played the game for numbers,' he said. 'So why start now?'<br/><br />Jeter arrived in the visitors' clubhouse at 10:50 a.m., coming in on the team bus and chatting along the concourse with Tim Wakefield, a former Red Sox knuckleballer whom he faced more than any other pitcher. He passed souvenir stands that sold T-shirts and caps and pink foam fingers commemorating his career. He was not an enemy this weekend.<br/><br />He dressed in his usual Fenway locker, the last in a row of four green stalls, closest to the tunnel leading to the field. He laughed with Brett Gardner and Chris Young and spoke with Jeff Idelson, the president of the Hall of Fame. He came across the young son of the Yankees' pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, patting him on the shoulder and offering his standard greeting: 'What's up, buddy?'<br/><br />Jeter smiled a lot during batting practice, the fans practically spilling onto the dirt track behind the cage, holding signs for him. Spike Lee and Joe Torre looked on. Jeter joined his teammates in the outfield for a silly footrace between two plodders, Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann. Teixeira won.<br/><br />Soon enough came the ceremony on the field, featuring Boston sports greats like Carl Yastrzemski and Bobby Orr. Pete Frates, the former Boston College baseball captain who inspired the A.L.S. Ice Bucket Challenge, was there, too, and a singer from 'The Voice' serenaded Jeter with Aretha Franklin's 'Respect.'<br/><br />The gifts were modest - a pair of duck boots, a base with his number on it, a signed 'RE2PECT' plate from the scoreboard, a check to his foundation - and the cheers from the fans heartfelt. Jeter had been a worthy rival.<br/><br />'I don't know many people who could really unite a crowd like he did today,' Girardi said later. 'Such big rivals, so much history between the teams, but you would have thought it was one team today.'<br/><br />The Red Sox marched onto the field to greet Jeter, one by one, in the ceremony. Joe Kelly, who on Saturday became the last pitcher to strike out Jeter, posed for a selfie with him.<br/><br />Jeter lined out to shortstop in the first inning before beating out that final single in the third that scored a run. Girardi looked to first base, where Jeter signaled that he was through. McCann lumbered out to run for him, hugging Jeter.<br/><br />'Congratulations on everything,' McCann said he told Jeter. 'You're the best.'<br/><br />Jeter stopped near the mound, telling Buchholz that he had enjoyed competing against him, something he could not say in the pregame ceremony, when Buchholz was warming up. Jeter crossed the third-base line without stopping and hugged his coaches and teammates. He waved his cap. His mother, Dorothy, wiped away tears in a box above the grandstand. But Jeter did not cry.<br/><br />'My emotions were so all over the place on Thursday in New York,' he said. 'When I got here, I was ready. I was ready for my career to be over with. I'm happy I had an opportunity to come and play here for a couple of games, but I'm ready for this to be the end.'<br/><br />Jeter watched the rest of the game from the dugout - his old friend Bernie Williams played guitar in the outfield during the seventh-inning stretch - and the fans chanted Jeter's name as the Yankees finished a 9-5 victory. Jeter spoke later about his legacy, saying he hoped to be known for respecting the game and those around it and, of course, for being a Yankee.<br/><br />He will appear this week on the 'Today' show and 'The Tonight Show,' and he will take a vacation. He will rest after a season of 145 games; as Tom Verducci notes in Sports Illustrated, only one Hall of Famer in the last century, Al Kaline, played more games in his final season.<br/><br />But mostly Jeter is free. There are no baseball obligations, no schedule to follow to prepare for another season. On Saturday, when Jeter struck out, Kelly blew a 99-m.p.h. fastball past him. There will be no more of those, either.<br/><br />Jeter recalled a moment a few years ago when, on his way to lunch in San Francisco with Jorge Posada, he saw the former shortstop Shawon Dunston. Jeter asked Dunston how life was going, and Dunston said it was stress-free. No more sliders to hit.<br/><br />Asked to describe his career, Jeter began with the word 'fun.' But it was only fun because he worked hard enough to get the most from his talent. There would have been no records, no championships, no adoration if he had not done all he could to ward off as much of the hard stuff as possible.<br/><br />So what does Jeter do now, as he begins his life as a former baseball player?<br/><br />'I don't know,' he said. 'That's a good thing. I don't know.'<br/><br />Post By http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/sports/baseball/derek-jeter-plays-final-game-at-a-friendly-fenway-park.html</div>

Hot News: Derek Jeter Plays Final Game at a Friendly Fenway Park

BOSTON - Sunlight bathed the field when Derek Jeter came to bat Sunday for the last time in the major leagues. Only the home plate area, fro...

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Hot News: Once Upon a Time Season 4 Premiere (Watch LIVE STREAM HERE!)

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://nilsenreport.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/once-upon-a-time-1024x576.jpg" width="100%"/>Episode Preview (VIA: TVLine) ** WATCH LIVE STREAM AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE **<br/><br />Unless you've been living under a rock troll, you know that ABC's Once Upon a Time will lead off Season 4 (premiering Sunday at 8/7c) with its own spin on Frozen's Queen Elsa, Anna et al. But that's just the tip of the storytelling iceberg, as creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis shared with TVLine as part of our Fall Preview and during a chat at the show's premiere party.<br/><br />While some of the following has been doled out to you in bits and pieces over recent weeks, here is the (mostly) complete transcript of the highlights, for your last-minute, pre-premiere consumption.<br/><br />TVLINE | When did you first start batting around the idea, 'Maybe we should make a run at Frozen?' The movie came out in late November, right around when you wrapped Season 3A....<br/><br />EDDY KITSIS | January...?<br/><br />ADAM HOROWITZ | It was a process, and I'd say the process was this: That first weekend, right around Thanksgiving, I took my daughters to see Frozen, Eddy took his son, and we just loved the movie so much. We became obsessed with it. And there were a few 'What if?' conversations that happened, but by the time we got to January it started to go beyond that into thinking, 'Wait, we see a way to do this....'<br/><br />KITSIS | It was writers room fan fiction - 'Oh boy, if we had those two we could do this...!' Finally we had so many 'We could do this' ideas, we thought: What happens if we ask? And they said yes.<br/><br />TVLINE | Is it a lingering Season 3 plot thread or something new going on in Season 4 that these characters will help service?<br/><br />KITSIS | Oh man, that's a good question....<br/><br />HOROWITZ | It's a tricky question.<br/><br />TVLINE | Or is it about bringing in new pot stirrers?<br/><br />HOROWITZ | It's a combination of a number of things. It's a new pot stirrer and all that, but it's also not so much about plot coming out of Season 3 but out of character coming out of Season 3. And by that I mean, what our characters went through - particularly Emma and Regina, and Mary Margaret and David, all of them. Where they found themselves at the end of the season is incredibly relevant to what the Frozen story is and what those characters bring to our show in Season 4.<br/><br />TVLINE | But weren't most of the Storybrooke characters happy when last we tuned in?<br/><br />KITSIS | Well, listen - most of them are happy, but that's what the premiere is for. The premiere is to let you know, 'This is what the new season is about.' We are gong to take the character growth from the last three seasons, and Anna and Elsa (played by Elizabeth Lail and Fringe's Georgina Haig) are going to incite new developments. HOROWITZ | I'd also say that in addition to inciting things, there are things about Anna and Elsa that we discover are resonant within our own characters - issues and things they've dealt with over the course of three seasons - that make them feel like a really nice match. They can help the process of discovery and growth.<br/><br />TVLINE | Is also a bit of someone else bringing their fight to our characters' playground?<br/><br />KITSIS | Sometimes when someone brings their troubles into our town, LANA PARRILLA, SEAN MAGUIRE, CHRISTIE LAINGwe find out that their troubles and ours might be the same thing.<br/><br />TVLINE | What would you say is the overall theme for Season 4A?<br/><br />KITSIS | 'Never give up on the people you love.' To us, that was the main inspiration about Anna. We loved that she never gave up on Elsa, even though Elsa was willing to go off and live alone and let it go. Anna was like, 'No, you're my sister and I love you no matter what.'<br/><br />TVLINE | So, for example, is it about Regina not giving up on the man she loves, or Robin not giving up on the woman he originally loved?<br/><br />HOROWITZ | Or is it some combination? That conflict is certainly one we dive into right off the bat.<br/><br />TVLINE | Care to go on record ruling out any blood ties between any Frozen characters and the regular gang?<br/><br />KITSIS | Yeah!<br/><br />HOROWITZ | We will go on record as saying that we are not going to reveal that Elsa is, for example, [a Storybrooke character's] sister, or that someone is her brother.<br/><br />KITSIS | We really should just have a villain named, like, 'Scott,' that has no relation to anyone - and then just watch the fans get bored and go, 'Oh, now we get it.'<br/><br />TVLINE | Who has the most unexpected relationship with a Frozen character? HOROWITZ | That's interesting.... I would say, Charming?<br/><br />KITSIS | I would say Prince Charming has an unexpected relationship.<br/><br />TVLINE | In good way or bad way?<br/><br />KITSIS | In a good way.<br/><br />TVLINE | Could 4B have been 4A if Disney said, 'No, too soon' to the Frozen mash-up?<br/><br />HOROWITZ | We would have reconceived a lot of things, but were very fortunate that The Powers That Be at Disney said yes at a very early stage. We've had the benefit of planning this since February. Live Stream & Podcast<br/><br />Post By http://nilsenreport.ca/2014/09/28/once-upon-a-time-season-4-premiere-watch-full-show-live-here/</div>

Hot News: Once Upon a Time Season 4 Premiere (Watch LIVE STREAM HERE!)

Episode Preview (VIA: TVLine) ** WATCH LIVE STREAM AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE ** Unless you've been living under a rock troll, you know that...

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Hot News: Chris Pratt hosts 'Saturday Night Live,' portrays Princess Leia

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1955844.1411929104!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/chris-pratt.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />NBC<br/><br />Chris Pratt was the guardian of 'Saturday Night Live's' season premiere, celebrating the show's 40th anniversary.<br/><br />'I'm so pumped to be here hosting the season premiere of 'Saturday Night Live,'' he said during his opening monologue on Sept. 28.<br/><br />The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star talked about his 60 pound weight loss for the lead role in the film and detailed the, 'Hey-fat-ass-get-into-shape-so-you-can-be-in-my-movie-diet,' he endured to get slim down.<br/><br />Obviously it worked as he and the Marvel flick were a huge hit. In fact, it's the highest grossing film this year, totaling $294.6 million six weeks after its release.<br/><br />What better way to celebrate the film's success than with an 'SNL' skit about the undeniable triumph's Marvel movies produce.<br/><br />NBC/Dana Edelson/NBC<br/><br />'Marvel took a super obscure comic book and turned it into the biggest film of the year,' the voiceover in the 'Marvels Coming Attractions' skit began, 'which means one thing, Marvel can't fail!'<br/><br />The skit highlights the upcoming films Marvel intends to release like 'Ant-Man,' about a guy who talks to ants.<br/><br />'We don't even need comic books anymore,' the voiceover added. 'We made a superhero team by pointing at a bunch of random words in the dictionary.'<br/><br />The outcome? 'Creatures of the Cosmos,' starring a pastry chef played by Pratt, a Harlem Globetrotter, an alien real estate signs dude, a dude dressed as Grimace, and an office chair.<br/><br />Other Marvel pictures to come include the comic's take on 'Star Wars' with Pratt starring as Princess Leia.<br/><br />Pop princess Ariana Grande also made an appearance on 'SNL's' season premiere Saturday.<br/><br />'I know I'm not half the singer Ariana Grande is,' Pratt mentioned during his opening monologue. 'But I'm technically three times her body weight.'<br/><br />The 21-year-old performed ' Break Free,' which she began with just piano accompaniment before picking up the tempo and incorporating some choreography.<br/><br />NBC<br/><br />'In the dressing room at #SNL hearing @ArianaGrande rehearse,' Pratt tweeted before the show. 'Man. That girl can sing!!!! Like REALLY sing. You probably already knew that.'<br/><br />'What a surreal moment,' Grande wrote after her performance.<br/><br /><strong>ON A MOBILE DEVICE? CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.</strong><br/><br />Post By http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/chris-pratts-stars-princess-leia-snl-spoof-star-wars-article-1.1955846</div>

Hot News: Chris Pratt hosts 'Saturday Night Live,' portrays Princess Leia

NBC Chris Pratt was the guardian of 'Saturday Night Live's' season premiere, celebrating the show's 40th anniversary. 'I...

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Hot News: 'Once Upon a Time' Adds to 'Frozen' Mythology in Season Premiere

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA5LzI5LzJjL09uY2VGcm96ZW4uNzYxZmUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJOTUweDUzNCMKZQlqcGc/eee405d6/19c/OnceFrozen.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Once Upon a Time has Frozen over, but things weren't all icy when we returned to Storybrooke in the Season 4 premiere, 'A Tale of Two Sisters.' In fact, one Rumpelstiltskin and Belle scene almost had me tearing up from all the Beauty and the Beast nostalgia.<br/><br />However, any happiness was offset by Regina back in Evil Queen mode (with her newly returned mirror sidekick Sidney Glass), Emma's resistance to Hook's advances, and well ... all of the frozen fractals Elsa dragged all over town. But before we could get into the action, we had to start with a time jump, of course.<br/><br />In the episode's opening scene, we get the backstory of Elsa and Anna's parents' death that Frozen never gave us. Maybe it was the film's G-rating that prevented animators from showing the former king and queen of Arendelle dying on a boat, Titanic-style, but the episode kicked off with their mom quickly scrawling a note with 'the truth' about Elsa to send back home in a bottle.<br/><br />Spoiler alert: it never made it home, because when we flash forward five years later, Anna and Elsa are just as confused about their parents' death as ever.<br/><br />Casting was A+ on the show's part, with Elsa (Georgina Haig), Anna (Elizabeth Lail), and Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster) embodying their characters perfectly. The only thing missing was Olaf, but we did get Elsa's scary abominable snowman wreaking havoc on Storybrooke, so we're almost there. We even got Kristoff's rock troll grandpoppy to roll in and give the sisters some advice in a flashback. (Unfortunately, he was not singing about fixer-uppers. Though, Kristoff did get a sleek new haircut.)<br/><br />The new twist on Frozen is that Elsa discovers that she's the 'reason' her parents died after reading her mom's diary during wedding planning for Anna. Apparently mom and dad were scared of Elsa's powers and were going to Misthaven to find answers. This, of course, prompts Anna to run off alone to this mysterious town without thinking - hmm, sound familiar? - but as we discover, Misthaven is just another name the Enchanted Forest. 'Don't worry, Anna, I will find you,' Elsa says as she watches Anna's ship sail off into the distance. Is this the new 'I will always find you,' because Snow and Charming got next to no screen time in the premiere.<br/><br />In present day, Elsa didn't directly interact with anyone in Storybrooke - save for icing up Grumpy's truck when they almost hit her and sending her evil snowman after Hook and Emma - but she is already deeply embedded into the town. She spots her snowflake necklace pictured in the newspaper and heads to Mr. Gold's shop to find it. Since Anna was last seen wearing it, it's her first clue of her sister's whereabouts. Honestly, given the timeline, I can't figure out where Anna is post-curse and if she's even alive since Elsa came from the past, but I'm guessing there will be some answers later in the season.<br/><br />Elsewhere in Storybrooke, Regina has a serious case of the sads. This formerly evil gal just can't catch a break in the romance department, and the most awkward introduction in history goes down when Robin Hood tries to exchange pleasantries with his girlfriend, Regina, and his not-so-dead wife Marian. This only gets worse when Marian screams, 'You're a monster!' multiple times at Regina. Not to condone cheating - does this even count since she was presumed dead? - but Marian is kind of basic and boring and I totally 'ship Robin and Regina.<br/><br />Robin tries to apologize to Regina in private later and even gives up a glimpse of hope for their love, but then he pulls the whole ''til death do us part' card about his wife. Regina sheds a single tear, and then she smashes a mirror with her mind after he leaves.<br/><br />The Evil Queen is back.<br/><br />The Evil Queen can't operate alone, though, and Giancarlo Esposito's show Revolution was just canceled, so he's back as the Magic Mirror. She plucks Sidney out of his cell at the mental ward, saying, 'I need my mirror. There's someone standing in the way of my happiness. I need your help getting rid of her.'<br/><br />Her first plan is to go back in time and kill Marian before she can be saved by Emma, but then she has a slight change of heart. She actually saves Marian in the woods after the evil snowman almost stomps her and decides that she has to find the writer of Henry's fairy tale book. (This may or may not have been prompted from Emma saying she's going to help get Regina a happy ending, which all SwanQueen fans are already making fan art about, I'm sure.)<br/><br />As Regina so expertly points out, villains never find love, so she wants to find the writer of the curse and then force them to give her what she deserves. 'It's time to change the book,' she tells Sidney. 'It's time for villains to get their happy endings.' Hey, remember when we thought August was the author of the book? Bless his wooden heart. R.I.P.<br/><br />The only happy couple in town seems to be Belle and Mr. Gold, who celebrate their wedding by going to Neal's grave, natch. It's actually Gold's version of confession as he tells Neal about swapping out the Dark One dagger before he gave it to Belle, and soon after, he does exactly that at a mysterious honeymoon house that Belle found for them. The most beautiful and perfect homage to classic Disney happens when the newly-married couple dances to 'Tale as Old as Time' in the exact outfits from Beauty and the Beast in a library. It's romantic and so much better than 'Let It Go.' And speaking of classic Disney, Gold also uses his dagger to discover the iconic blue hat from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' sequence in Fantasia in the house, which hints we could see Mickey Mouse in the future.<br/><br />I know what you're thinking: what about Hook and Emma? I'm just saving the best for last.<br/><br />In the whole episode, they only kiss once, but we do see Emma physically on top of Hook when they get blasted by a snowman. So, I'll count that as two. Emma is as hot and cold as Elsa, honestly. Out of the blue when they're in the woods, she says, 'Want to go home and see what's on Netflix?' He responds adorably, saying, 'I don't know what that is, but sure.' (Are they more of a House of Cards couple or Orange Is the New Black? I'm betting on the latter. They could be marathoning Gilmore Girls, though.)<br/><br />Then Emma suddenly wants to talk about stopping whoever created the ice monster and he points out that there's 'always a crisis' when it comes to her. While she claims she's avoiding him because she feels 'too guilty about what she did to Regina,' I think it has something to do with her baby daddy Neal just dying. But then she kisses him and it solves things for the moment. 'I have all the time in the world,' he tells her dryly. 'Unless another monster appears and kills me.'<br/><br />For now, Elsa doesn't seem ready to freeze Storybrooke over like she (accidentally) did with Arendelle, but with no trolls hanging out in town, if she zaps someone's heart, there's no sisterly bonds to help anyone. Honestly, I'm just waiting for the inevitable Regina vs. Elsa or Rumplestiltskin vs. Elsa showdown - hopefully neither of their relationships keep them from battling it out with magic this season. What did you think of the Frozen storyline on Once Upon a Time? Are you ready to let it go already, or did Elsa & Co. pull you in? Tell us in the comments!Alyse Whitney is an entertainment writer whose life revolves around her DVR conflicts and all things Shonda Rhimes. Her work has appeared on MTV, POPSUGAR, TVLine, Wetpaint, and more. Follow her on Twitter @AlyseWhitney.<br/><br />Post By http://mashable.com/2014/09/28/once-upon-a-time-season-4-premiere-recap/</div>

Hot News: 'Once Upon a Time' Adds to 'Frozen' Mythology in Season Premiere

Once Upon a Time has Frozen over, but things weren't all icy when we returned to Storybrooke in the Season 4 premiere, 'A Tale of Tw...

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Hot News: Hong Kong's unprecedented protests and police crackdown, explained

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40317694/455909192.0.0_standard_234.0.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />Protest marches and vigils are fairly common in Hong Kong, but what began on Friday and escalated dramatically on Sunday is unprecedented. Mass acts of civil disobedience were met by a shocking and swift police response, which has led to clashes in the streets and popular outrage so great that analysts can only guess at what will happen next.<br/><br />What's going on in Hong Kong right now is a very big deal, and for reasons that go way beyond just this weekend's protests. Hong Kong's citizens are protesting to keep their promised democratic rights, which they worry - with good reason - could be taken away by the central Chinese government in Beijing. This moment is a sort of standoff between Hong Kong and China over the city's future, a confrontation that they have been building toward for almost 20 years. This began with a movement called Occupy Central but escalated when police surprised them with force<br/><br />On Wednesday, student groups led peaceful marches to protest China's new plan for Hong Kong's 2017 election, which looked like China reneging on its promise to grant the autonomous region full democracy (see the next section for what that plan was such a big deal). Protest marches are pretty common Hong Kong so it didn't seem so unusual at first.<br/><br />Things started escalating on Friday. Members of a protest group called Occupy Central (Central is the name of Hong Kong's downtown district) had planned to launch a 'civil disobedience' campaign on October 1, a national holiday celebrating communist China's founding. But as the already-ongoing protesters escalated they decided to go for it now. On Friday, protesters peacefully occupied the forecourt (a courtyard-style open area in front of an office building) of Hong Kong's city government headquarters along with other downtown areas.<br/><br />The really important thing is what happened next: Hong Kong's police cracked down with surprising force, fighting in the streets with protesters and eventually emerging with guns that, while likely filled with rubber bullets, look awfully militaristic. In response, outraged Hong Kong residents flooded into the streets to join the protesters, and on Sunday police blanketed Central with tear gas, which has been seen here as a shocking and outrageous escalation. The Chinese central government issued a statement endorsing the police actions, as did Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive, a tacit signal that Beijing wishes for the protests to be cleared.<br/><br />You have to remember that this is <i>Hong Kong</i>: an affluent and orderly place that prides itself on its civility and its freedom. Hong Kongers have a bit of a superiority complex when it comes to China, and see themselves as beyond the mainland's authoritarianism and disorder. But there is also deep, deep anxiety that this could change, that Hong Kong could lose it special status, and this week's events have hit on those anxieties to their core. This all goes back to a promise China made in 1997 - and might be breaking<br/><br /><br/><br />This began in 1997, when the United Kingdom handed over Hong Kong, one of its last imperial possessions, to the Chinese government. Hong Kong had spent over 150 years under British rule; it had become a fabulously wealthy center of commerce and had enjoyed, while not full democracy, far more freedom and democracy than the rest of China. So, as part of the handover, the Chinese government in Beijing promised to let Hong Kong keep its special rights and its autonomy - a deal known as 'one country, two systems.'<br/><br />A big part of that deal was China's promise that, in 2017, Hong Kong's citizens would be allowed to democratically elect their top leader for the first time ever. That leader, known as the Hong Kong chief executive, is currently appointed by a pro-Beijing committee. In 2007, the Chinese government reaffirmed its promise to give Hong Kong this right in 2017, which in Hong Kong is referred to as universal suffrage - a sign of how much value people assign to it.<br/><br />But there have been disturbing signs throughout this year that the central Chinese government might renege on its promise. In July, the Chinese government issued a 'white paper' stating that it has 'comprehensive jurisdiction' over Hong Kong and that 'the high degree of autonomy of [Hong Kong] is not an inherent power, but one that comes solely from the authorization by the central leadership.' It sounded to many like a warning from Beijing that it could dilute or outright revoke Hong Kong's freedoms, and tens of thousands of Hong Kong's citizens marched in protest.<br/><br />Then, in August, Beijing announced its plan for Hong Kong's 2017 elections. While citizens would be allowed to vote for the chief executive, the candidates for the election would have to be approved by a special committee just like the pro-Beijing committee that currently appoints the chief executive. This lets Beijing hand-pick candidates for the job, which is anti-democratic in itself, but also feels to many in Hong Kong like a first step toward eroding their promised democratic rights. It's about much more than one election: democracy, Tiananmen, and an uncertain future<br/><br /><br/><br />People in Hong Kong have long wondered whether the Chinese government, famous for its heavy-handed authoritarianism and its fear of democracy, would really allow Hong Kong to become fully democratic or even keep what freedoms it had under British rule. The 2017 election was going to be a test case. So when China began to break its promises for the election, it raised a very scary question: is Beijing just going to erode Hong Kong's freedoms a little bit, or is it going to impose the same dictatorial rule it uses in mainland China, one of the least free societies in the world?<br/><br />So these protests aren't just about Beijing's plan to hand-pick candidates for the 2017 election, they're about whether Hong Kong will remain fundamentally free, an ongoing and open-ended question that will continue for years no matter how these protests resolve.<br/><br />The other thing you have to understand is that the memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, in which the Chinese military mowed down 2,600 peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Beijing and other cities, looms awfully large in Hong Kong. While Hong Kong was unaffected by the massacre (it was under British rule at the time), the city holds an annual vigil in memory of the event, which has been so heavily censored in China itself that many young people have never heard of it.<br/><br />Hong Kongers feel they have a responsibility to keep memory of Tiananmen for the fellow Chinese who cannot, but they also earnestly fear that it could happen to them. So that is a big part of why Hong Kong's residents are so upset to see their police donning military-like uniforms and firing tear gas this weekend; it feels like an echo, however faint, of 1989's violence. And in July, when Hong Kong residents protested the Chinese 'white paper' implicitly arguing that China could revoke their freedoms, some pro-Beijing officials seemed to warn, even so subtly, that China's military could hypothetically put down any unrest in Hong Kong. The protesters and Beijing are both hoping to force Hong Kong's divided public to decide on their future<br/><br /><br/><br />This crisis comes in the middle of a political division among the citizens of Hong Kong, who embrace their freedoms but also tend to be conservative, over their future as part of China. Some are okay with integrating with the rest of China, or at least accept it as inevitable and don't want to kick up too much of a fuss, while some want to fight for democracy and autonomy. (There are other layers to this debate, such as Chinese nationalism versus Hong Kong exceptionalism; there's also a strong law-and-order constituency.)<br/><br />You saw that split in a mid-September opinion poll asking Hong Kongers whether or not they should accept Beijing's plan for the 2017 election: 48 percent said Hong Kong should reject the plan as insufficiently democratic, while 39 percent said they should accept the deal despite the tradeoffs.<br/><br />That public opinion split among Hong Kong residents is what makes this week really important. The protesters were hoping to galvanize public opinion against Beijing's plan for the 2017 election, and against China's more gradual erosion of Hong Kong's freedoms. But Beijing (and Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive) seemed to hope that, by unleashing this highly unusual crackdown, they could nudge Hong Kong's ever-conservative mainstream against the protesters and in favor of the status quo.<br/><br />In other words, both the pro-democracy protesters and Beijing are hoping to force Hong Kong's public to choose whether or not to accept, at a fundamental level, China's growing control over Hong Kong politics. If the public tacitly accepts Beijing's terms for the 2017 election, it will likely be taken as a green light for more limits on Hong Kong's democracy and autonomy, however subtle those limits end up being. But if Hong Kong residents join the protesters en masse, they will be rejecting not just the 2017 election terms, but the basic terms of Hong Kong's relationship with the central Chinese government.<br/><br />It is simply too early to tell which direction these protests will go. Although early indications suggest that thousands of residents began joining the students in protest on Sunday, it's not clear if this will grow significantly larger, as is probably necessary to force change, or will fizzle out under police pressure. However it resolves, though, this is a potentially decisive moment for Hong Kong and the uncertainty that has hung over its future ever since 1997.<br/><br />Post By http://www.vox.com/2014/9/28/6856621/hong-kong-protests-clashes-china-explainer</div>

Hot News: Hong Kong's unprecedented protests and police crackdown, explained

Protest marches and vigils are fairly common in Hong Kong, but what began on Friday and escalated dramatically on Sunday is unprecedented. M...

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Hot News: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin appear together after Venice wedding

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/9/28/1411913378943/Newlywed-George-Clooney-a-011.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />At just before 3pm, it wasn't quite the morning after the night before. But the wait didn't seem to matter to the crowds of tourists and paparazzi who cheered and whistled from the banks of the Grand Canal as George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin emerged in public for the first time as a married couple.<br/><br />Smiling and waving from the motorboat that picked them up from the luxury Aman Canal Grande resort in the centre of Venice on Sunday, the Hollywood heart-throb and his British-Lebanese wife showed no signs of being any the worse for wear after the drama of Saturday night.<br/><br />More than an hour after the grand spectacle that was the actor's black-tie arrival by a paparazzi-surrounded motor boat called Amore on Saturday, Clooney's representative Stan Rosenfield had put out a one-sentence statement announcing that he and the human rights lawyer had been 'married today ... in a private ceremony in Venice, Italy'.<br/><br />And, on Sunday, as the couple spent their first day together as husband and wife, the first purported details of the year's most eagerly anticipated celebrity wedding began to emerge. The ceremony is understood to have been held in English and was officiated by former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni, an old friend of Clooney, who was seen leaving the Aman in a water taxi on Sunday morning.<br/><br />The couple said 'I do' at 8.18pm, prompting huge applause and cheers from the assembled guests, according to Il Gazzettino, which also claimed that a trio of musicians - a saxophonist, pianist and double-bassist - played while guests arrived for the ceremony.<br/><br />Clooney's hands were shaking so much after the vows that he had trouble cutting the cake, according to an unnamed source close to the hotel quoted by AFP.<br/><br />The details of the wedding and subsequent reception have been mostly shrouded in mystery, with all staff of the 'seven-star' Aman sworn to secrecy under a confidentiality agreement. But with the media hungry for any tidbit - and photographers seen on Sunday morning rifling through bags of rubbish in the streets behind the hotel - some elements were certain to leak out.<br/><br />Corriere del Veneto reported a 'small group of strings' played Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The five-course dinner included lemon risotto with lobster and a choice between sea bass and Chianina steak, AFP said. A local paper, meanwhile, revealed the devastating scoop that the bouquet had been kept on ice to stop it wilting.<br/><br />Despite the lavish scale of the celebrations, the news that the couple had actually married caused surprise among the world's media as the pair had been expected to make things official on Monday in a civil ceremony at Venice city hall.<br/><br />On Sunday, a spokesman for the council was quoted as confirming that that appointment would go ahead as planned in a historic palazzo just across the Grand Canal from the Aman. It is understood that that ceremony - expected at about 1pm - will be when the marriage is written into the council register and made fully official under Italian law.<br/><br />But the ambiguity was too much for Il Gazzettino, Venice's local newspaper, which showed evident irritation with the smoke and mirrors involved in the huge celebrity and media circus. 'All cinema,' declared journalist Alda Vanzan of the ceremony, which she dismissed - for good measure - as 'fiction, for now'. Only when Clooney, 53, and the 36-year-old Oxford University graduate registered their marriage in the comune, she insisted, would their nuptials be valid.<br/><br />'But when you're in show business, when you've sold the exclusive photographs to an American magazine for charity, when you invite relatives and friends from half the world for a wedding in Venice, the most romantic city in the world, bureaucracy can be snubbed,' she wrote. 'Who gives a stuff about the laws of the Belpaese?'<br/><br />With the huge attention focused on the nuptials, fed in part by the location and the sheer spectacle of scores of VIPs arriving on the Grand Canal, 'the wedding which had to be secret ... and marked by discretion in the end exploded into a party that was terribly bling bling,' remarked La Nuova Venezia waspishly.<br/><br />Vanzan agreed. 'They had to get married in great secrecy - but they seem to be doing everything they can to end up in the limelight,' she wrote.<br/><br />One person who stayed firmly out of the spotlight was Brad Pitt, who had been expected to attend but who appeared not to have arrived. Among the confirmed guests were actors Bill Murray, Ellen Barkin, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon; model Cindy Crawford and her husband, the entertainment industry entrepreneur Rande Gerber, U2 frontman Bono and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour.<br/><br />Post By http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/28/george-clooney-amal-alamuddin-first-appearance-venice-wedding</div>

Hot News: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin appear together after Venice wedding

At just before 3pm, it wasn't quite the morning after the night before. But the wait didn't seem to matter to the crowds of tourists...

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Hot News: Ben Bruce wins Montreal marathon

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2780088.1411845245!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/oasis-marathon-map-2014.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />American runner Ben Bruce won this year's Montreal marathon with a time of 2:22:38.<br/><br />Bruce, who hails from San Diego, Calif., crossed the finish line just before 11:00 a.m.<br/><br />Bruce said the warm temperature was a surprise and forced him to slow down his pace.<br/><br />'I came to Canada hoping it would be cooler,' he said after crossing the finish line.<br/><br />Sunday's maximum temperature was expected to reach 26 C.<br/><br />Last year's winner, David Savard-Gagnon of Baie-Saint-Paul, Que., finished second in 2:29:08.<br/><br />Oukid Fehti from the Montreal suburb of St-Leonard finished third with a time of 2:31:43.<br/><br />Nearly 35,000 runners from 45 countries signed up for one of the five races - the marathon, half-marathon, and the 10k, 5k and 1k races.<br/><br />The marathon started at 8:30 a.m. on the Jacques-Cartier bridge.<br/><br />The half-marathon winner was announced just over an hour later, when Daniel Kipkoech of Lethbridge, Alta., crossed the finish line with a time of 1:05:46.<br/><br />The course takes runners through Île Ste-Hélène, Île Notre-Dame, and several neighbourhoods in the central and eastern parts of the island before reaching the finish line at La Fontaine Park.<br/><br />The marathon is part of the Rock 'n' Roll Oasis marathon series. Twenty live concerts by local artists are taking place along the various race routes. Driver delays<br/><br />Motorists can expect delays for much of the morning and early afternoon as several roads are blocked off .<br/><br />For people getting to and from the South Shore, the Jacques-Cartier Bridge is closed until noon.<br/><br />The Metro's yellow line is in service today. The line has been shut down on weekends for repairs, which will resume next weekend.<br/><br />See below for a map of the course and road closures, or click here.<br/><br />Post By http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ben-bruce-wins-montreal-marathon-1.2780451</div>

Hot News: Ben Bruce wins Montreal marathon

American runner Ben Bruce won this year's Montreal marathon with a time of 2:22:38. Bruce, who hails from San Diego, Calif., crossed the...

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New Toshiba Satellite C55 B5298 16 inch Processor

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><center><br /><h2>New Toshiba Satellite C55-B5298 16-inch Laptop (2.1 GHz Intel Celeron N2830 Processor, 4GB DIMM, 500GB HDD, Windows 8.1) Jet Black</h2><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href='http://tinyurl.com/oev9dzd' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img alt="Toshiba Satellite" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-LLXkL0fL._SL2000_.jpg" vspace="0"/> </a> </center><br /><br/><br /><div style='clear:both;text-align:center;' class='separator'><a href='http://tinyurl.com/oev9dzd' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img border="0" height="53" src="http://goo.gl/l551sS" width="320"/> </a> </div><br /><br/><br /><h3>This is My Opinion About This Product</h3><br /><br/><br />After I buy this New Toshiba Satellite C55-B5298 16-inch Laptop (2.1 GHz Intel Celeron N2830 Processor, 4GB DIMM, 500GB HDD, Windows 8.1) Jet Black (Personal Computers)<br /><div class='reviewText'>I just received this laptop and here are my initial impressions:<br/><br />The laptop is super thin. It is pretty close to MacBook Pro territory in terms of thinness. One inch is the sweet spot for laptop thinness in my point of view.<br/><br />I was comparing this laptop to similarly priced Chromebooks and a similarly priced Dell Inspiron. The advantage over Chromebooks is obvious when you look at the specs. With this laptop you get two USB2 ports and 1 USB3 port. You get a larger screen at 15.6 inches. You get a full size hard drive at 500GB and a full size keyboard. The bottom line is that you get a full computer. I own a Samsung Chromebook and this laptop is better in every regard, except perhaps size and weight.<br/><br />The advantage of this over the Dell Inspiron is the location of the speaker grills, USB 3.0, and the inclusion of a VGA port and an ethernet jack. As a part-time instructor, the inclusion of a VGA port is very important since I need to plug into a projector that uses VGA.<br/><br />I purchased a Toshiba Satellite about 8 years ago for my wife. Over time, the power adapter port broke inside the laptop. The power adapter port inside that laptop was a barrel. The power cable and the barrel inside the laptop plug into each other. Somehow the barrel inside her old Toshiba broke off its mount points inside the laptop. Perhaps it was stress on the cable, since it sticks out quite far from the laptop when plugged in. It still works, but it is dangling inside, making the process of plugging it in more difficult. Additionally, the left mouse button broke on her old Toshiba.<br/><br />Why do I mention this? I mention this because this laptop has the same barrel-style plug. The mouse buttons also feel very similar to her old Toshiba. They even have the same hollow clicking sound as her old laptop. I am afraid this laptop may exhibit the same issues over time. I recommend taking good care of this laptop to hopefully avoid these issues.<br/><br />The keyboard of this laptop is super low profile. It looks great, but there is practically no movement of the keys. While this is an exaggeration, there is some truth to it too, because these keys are amazingly flat and short. I get the impression that these keys can't take a beating. I am used to Lenovo Thinkpad keyboards at the office and a Thinkpad SL510 at home, just so you know what I am comparing this laptop's keyboard to.<br/><br />It feels well-built and solid, despite my past history with my wife's Toshiba as described above. Only time will tell if the power plug, keyboard, and mouse buttons hold up to use.<br/><br />The design style of this laptop is nice. I like the textured look and the black color. The sculpted lines of the sides of this laptop are attractive as well.<br/><br />I have been using Windows 8 since the beta test, and I still find it awkward. This laptop did not come with a restore CD, so I suspect there is a restore partition, like most PCs.<br/><br />The Celeron inside is not fast at all, but is good enough. I suspect the additional software bloat, like the included 30 day antivirus package is weighing its performance down. I will probably uninstall the software and just use the Microsoft antivirus that is built into Windows 8.<br/><br />On Geekbench, this laptop scored 991 single core and 1701 multicore on the 64-bit benchmarks. On the 32-bit benchmarks, it scored 870 single core and 1367 multicore. These scores are lower than my Thinkpad SL510 with a Core2Duo chip inside from a couple of years ago (64-bit: 1184/1939 and 32-bit: 1094/1846). Then again, I paid three times as much for that laptop.<br/><br />This laptop is good for its price. I'd say that price is its leading feature. For its price, you get a full size, fully capable PC laptop that can handle day to day tasks. I'd recommend this over a Chromebook for sure.<br/><br />If I had to sum this up in one sentence, it is amazing how much computing power is included for the price.<br/><br />As I use this more I will provide further updates.</div><br /></div>

New Toshiba Satellite C55 B5298 16 inch Processor

New Toshiba Satellite C55-B5298 16-inch Laptop (2.1 GHz Intel Celeron N2830 Processor, 4GB DIMM, 500GB HDD, Windows 8.1) Jet Black This ...

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Hot News: Montreal Marathon set for Sunday

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2780088.1411845245!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/oasis-marathon-map-2014.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Preparations are under way for the Montreal Marathon, with organizers expecting a record turnout.<br/><br />Nearly 35,000 runners from 45 countries are signed up for the five races - the marathon, half-marathon, and the 10k, 5k and 1k races.<br/><br />The marathon starts at 8:30 a.m. on the Jacques-Cartier bridge.<br/><br />Runners will wind through Île Ste-Hélène , Île Notre-Dame, Old Montreal and several neighbourhoods in the central and eastern parts of the island before reaching the finish line at La Fontaine Park.<br/><br />Participants will be able to enjoy more than 20 live concerts by local artists taking place along the various race routes. Driver delays<br/><br />Motorists can expect delays in the central and eastern part of the island for much of the morning and early afternoon.<br/><br />For people getting to and from the South Shore, the Jacques-Cartier Bridge will be closed from 4 a.m. until noon.<br/><br />The Metro's yellow line will, however, be open Sunday, after several weekends of closures due to tunnel repairs.<br/><br />See below for a map of the course and road closings.<br/><br />Post By http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-marathon-set-for-sunday-1.2780086</div>

Hot News: Montreal Marathon set for Sunday

Preparations are under way for the Montreal Marathon, with organizers expecting a record turnout. Nearly 35,000 runners from 45 countries ar...

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Hot News: Discreet Australian designer dresses Jennifer Robinson for Amal Alamuddin's ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://images.smh.com.au/2014/09/28/5823521/Article%20Lead%20-%20wide6155032210n8q7image.related.articleLeadwide.729x410.10n8j6.png1411895024398.jpg-620x349.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Australian designer Johanna Johnson may be the only woman who takes the phrase, 'Always a bridesmaid, never a bride', as a compliment considering she has now dressed some of the world's most famous bridal party members.<br/><br />The Sydney-based evening wear specialist designed the gown worn by Amal Alamuddin's best friend, Jennifer Robinson, to the star studded Clooney wedding held in Venice at the weekend.<br/><br />Robinson, an Australian media and human rights lawyer who defended Julian Assange along with Alamuddin, wore a black dress with cap sleeves and a heavily embellished neckline to the ceremony held at the Aman hotel. While it is not known exactly what role she played in the private ceremony, the 33-year-old was one of four 'confidants of the bride'. Italy! - Jen Robinson (@suigenerisjen) September 26, 2014<br/><br />Amal Alamuddin's Australian best friend, Jennifer Robinson, wearing a gown designed by Australian couturier Johanna Johnson.<br/><br />She arrived via water taxi accompanied by the mother of the bride - <i>Al Hayat's</i> foreign editor Baria Alamuddin - and comedian Bill Murray. The trio looked relaxed as they waved regally to the hundreds of fans and onlookers.<br/><br />Robinson, who splits her time between Sydney and London, was joined at the wedding by fellow Aussies actor Cate Blanchett and author Kathy Lette, the wife of Alamuddin's boss, Geoffrey Robertson QC. So, the world's most famous bachelor is soon no longer to be footloose and fiancé-free. So glad Clooney found such a fab altar-ego in Amal. - Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) September 27, 2014<br/><br />'It's been my great honour to have been requested by <i>Vogue</i> to work on the wedding of Mr George Clooney and his bride, Ms Amal Alamuddin, to dress Ms Jennifer Robinson, best friend and confidante of the bride,' Johnson said of her 'private and confidential' project.<br/><br />Johanna Johnson at work inside her Paddington boutique.<br/><br />No details of what or who the bride wore have been confirmed. She was last seen checking into the Palazzo Papadopoli on Friday night wearing a floor length scarlet Alexander McQueen gown.<br/><br />While Clooney wore a custom made Giorgio Armani tuxedo to the ceremony, his 36-year-old wife is believed to have been dressed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the same designer who created the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding gown in 2011.<br/><br />Earlier this year Johnson dressed Kim Kardashian West's younger sister and bridesmaid, Kendall, for the rehearsal dinner prior to her wedding to rapper Kanye West. Kendall Jenner, in a French silk navy Johanna Johnson gown, was sat next to fashion heavy weights including designer Valentino Garavani and editor Carine Roitfeld inside the Palace of Versailles. The aspiring model then shared images of the gown with her 13 million Instagram followers.<br/><br />Johnson has been working with the world's most photographed family for several years. In 2012 she dressed Kim in an emerald gown for the White House Correspondent's Dinner.<br/><br />The former graphic designer is quickly gaining a reputation as the Australian version of Sarah Burton for her extravagant designs and discretion.<br/><br />Amal Alamuddin arriving in Venice prior to her wedding to George Clooney wearing an Alexander McQueen gown.<br/><br />'We work very closely with a number of key stylists and celebrity clientele on a daily basis, but a lot of what happens day to day we are unable to talk about given that confidentiality is a key part of what we offer. We often say that if we had a reality show no one would believe that what actually happens wasn't scripted,' she told Fairfax Media.<br/><br />'I am very proud of the fact that this little label that is determined to remain 'Made in Australia' is creating awareness and a following. It allows us to create jobs locally, provide training on the dying art of couture, and support the causes close to us.'<br/><br />Post By http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/discreet-australian-designer-dresses-jennifer-robinson-for-amal-alamuddins-wedding-to-george-clooney-20140928-10n8j6.html</div>

Hot News: Discreet Australian designer dresses Jennifer Robinson for Amal Alamuddin's ...

Australian designer Johanna Johnson may be the only woman who takes the phrase, 'Always a bridesmaid, never a bride', as a complimen...

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