Sunday, October 9, 2016

Professional athletes take issue with Trump's 'Locker room talk'

Gym Locker Room


NEW YORK - CJ McCollum, Jamal Crawford and Jacob Tamme are among current and former professional athletes on social media to criticize Donald Trump's characterization of his predatory, sexual comments about women from a 2005 video as “locker room talk.”


Trump's campaign described his remarks as “locker room banter” in a statement Saturday, and the Republican presidential nominee repeated the line multiple times Sunday during the presidential debate with Hillary Clinton.


In the tape, obtained by The Washington Post and NBC News, Trump describes trying to have sex with a married woman and brags about women letting him kiss and grab them because he is famous.


“When you're a star they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”


He adds seconds later, “Grab them by the p--. You can do anything.”


“I haven't heard that one in any locker rooms,” McCollum wrote on Twitter in a response to a tweet from Crawford. McCollum plays for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and Crawford plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.


There should be an embedded item here. Please visit the original post to view it.


Tamme, a tight end with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, asked that Trump “please stop saying 'locker room talk,'” adding that “it's not normal. And even if it were normal, it's not right.”


Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson, Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley and retired NFL players Donte Stallworth and Chris Kluwe offered similar condemnations.


The post Professional athletes take issue with Trump's 'Locker room talk' appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

Friday, October 7, 2016

5 Necessary Steps to Reliable Home Security for Your Family



 


Choose a Security Company You Can Rely On


The most important choice you'll make when planning for home security is hiring the right home security company.


Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Air rage is taking off around the world, say airlines

A Delta jetliner (foreground) is de-iced while an American Airlines plane (rear) takes off at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Photo by Gary Cameron/Reuters

A Delta jetliner (foreground) is de-iced while an American Airlines plane (rear) takes off at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Photo by Gary Cameron/Reuters


WASHINGTON - Incidents of unruly passengers on planes are increasing, and more effective deterrents are needed to tackle the problem, a global airline trade group said Wednesday.


There were 10,854 air rage incidents reported by airlines worldwide last year, up from 9,316 incidents in 2014, according to the International Air Transport Association. That equates to one incident for every 1,205 flights, an increase from one incident per 1,282 flights the previous year.


Incidents have been rising almost consistently since 2007, when the association began tracking the issue. That year airlines reported 339 incidents to the association.


A majority of incidents involved verbal abuse, failure to follow crew instructions and other anti-social behavior. Eleven percent included physical aggression toward passengers or crew or damage to the plane. Alcohol or drugs were a factor in 23 percent of the cases. In the vast majority of incidents involving drugs or alcohol, the substances were consumed before boarding or imbibed secretly on board, the association said.


Training staff in airport bars and duty-free shops to sell alcohol responsibly, including avoiding offers that encourage binge drinking, can cut incidents by half, the association said, citing an initiative by Monarch Airlines at London's Gatwick Airport.


Airlines already have strong guidelines and crew training on “the responsible provision of alcohol,” the association said.


A woman in England pleaded guilty in June to assaulting an easyJet pilot. Prosecutors said she punched the pilot in the face after he deemed her too intoxicated to fly. In another case, a male passenger allegedly urinated on fellow easyJet passengers as they were waiting to deplane after landing at Edinburgh.


Six men involved in a drunken brawl during a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Thailand in July were ordered off the plane after it diverted to Indonesia.
Incidents have been rising almost consistently since 2007, when the association began tracking the issue.

An American Airlines pilot tackled one passenger to the floor after he tried to force his way off the plane as it taxied to the gate in Charlotte, North Carolina. “You don't put your hands on my flight attendant!” the pilot can be heard yelling on a video taken by another passenger. The unruly passenger was arrested and charged with being intoxicated and disruptive.


Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, an advocacy group for airline passengers in Washington, said he knows of no changes in the way alcohol is sold in airports or on planes that would account for the increase in the rate of incidents. But he noted that the increases correspond with efforts by airlines to squeeze more passenger seats onto planes by shrinking legroom and seat width.


“We've always had alcohol sold at airports, we have always had alcohol served on aircraft,” he said. “The only difference today is that people now have less space and they are required to interact more intimately with other passengers.”


Other recent incidents include a Los Angeles-bound Delta Air Lines flight diverted to Tucson, Arizona, escorted by two Air Force fighter jets, after a passenger refused to return his seat. The following month, the FBI and Hawaii state sheriffs arrested a 35-year-old man who allegedly bit a flight attendant on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Pago Pago in American Samoa to Honolulu.


Airlines also want more countries to ratify a 2014 treaty that closes gaps in laws for dealing with unruly passengers. So far, only six countries - Bahrain, Congo, Dominican Republic, Gabon, Guyana and Jordan - have ratified the pact.


“More are needed in order to have a consistent global approach to this issue,” said Alexandre de Juniac, the association's director general.


READ MORE: Study shows chronic fatigue among air traffic controllers


The post Air rage is taking off around the world, say airlines appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Less Parking, More City

Today hundreds of cities around the world are celebrating Park(ing) Day. Since 2005, Park(ing) Day has encouraged urban dwellers to temporarily transform parking spaces for a public purpose - parks, games, theatres, and more. This year Uber is proud to be participating in this effort to reimagine our cities.


The average car spends 95% of its life parked. In many cities, a third of all land is now dedicated to parking. In fact, there are so many parking spaces in the United States we can't even count them all - experts estimate there may be as many as 2 billion. And it's no surprise Park(ing) Day got its start in Uber's hometown of San Francisco. Writer Michael Lewis once joked that Bay Area residents spend so much time looking for parking that it “counts as a hobby.”


But parking has become an enormous problem for cities across the country. It's ugly, it's expensive to build, and it takes up valuable space. Up to a third of traffic in city centers is caused by drivers circling to find parking. Even people who don't own cars pay a high price - rents go up to accommodate the cost of building parking. Ultimately, there's no such thing as free parking.


“Park(ing) day asks people to rethink the status quo and imagine what might be possible in the future. New technology has made sharing cars, rides, bikes and multimodal trips hassle free. Self driving vehicles will accelerate these trends. Now is the time for true PPPs – public + private + people collaborations – to make sure that we get the liveable, sustainable, and just future we want. I'm excited for Uber to be participating in this three way dialogue.”


-Robin Chase, Founder of Zipcar and Author of Peers, Inc.


For decades, cities have tried to fix parking policy - and many have made progress. At Uber we're committed to tackling the underlying cause by creating an alternative to personal car ownership. Innovations like UberPOOL are helping to made mass carpooling a reality.  By getting more people in fewer cars, POOL is helping to reduce congestion in some of the world's biggest cities. Every empty seat we can fill means one less car on the road.


We're also investing in self-driving technology, which will accelerate these trends by making it cheaper and easier to hail a ride than drive yourself. Studies by the OECD found that shared autonomous vehicles could reduce the number of cars on the road by 90% or more. And as car ownership declines, so will the need for parking space.


Just imagine if a city could reclaim a third of its land, as well as all the money it has to spend on lots and meters and garages. Imagine the new homes and apartments that could take their place. Imagine all the new schools and playgrounds and parks and bike paths.


Park(ing) Day is all about preparing us to make that dream a reality. We have an enormous opportunity to make our cities more liveable, vibrant, and affordable. Today we're excited to join with people across the planet to envision a world without parking.


We invite you to come join us by transforming your own parking spot, or find other people participating in your city.


Check back throughout the the day – we'll be updating the blog with photos of some of our installations across the country.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Teaming up with AT&T to bring college football everywhere

Welcome to college football season! It's tough to match the excitement the next 4-5 months will bring. From the rivalries, tailgates, close finishes and stunning upsets, no sport is more thrilling from one week to the next.


Regardless of where you watch your team, we want you to enjoy every part of this season. To help, we're teaming up with our friends at AT&T and DIRECTV to bring college football everywhere this fall.


This weekend, fans in Orlando can order up free rides around the city, while watching every second of the day's action. Whether you wear burnt orange, crimson, purple or any team colors during your weekend, select riders will get to travel in style with live football action via on-board Samsung tablets powered by the AT&T network. This is all courtesy of AT&T Thanks.


Additional stops take place in Columbus, Ohio (week 3); Boulder, Colo. (week 4); Phoenix (week 5); Seattle (week 6) and Pittsburgh (week 7).  Also, we're leveraging UberEats to deliver the ultimate tailgating experience to fans in San Francisco (week 3), Los Angeles (week 4), Dallas (week 5) and Atlanta (week 6). Be on the lookout during select times those weekends.


This year, riders will be able to stream content on Sundays, too. DIRECTV NOW, AT&T's OTT streaming service will also be available for fans to enjoy additional programming starting in late 2016.


Later in the season, AT&T and Uber return for the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, to mobilize the tradition and passion of fans all around the city. Then we'll see you again in Tampa, Fla. for the sport's biggest party: the College Football Playoff National Championship in January!


As fans ourselves, we're excited to spend another season with the football faithful. We hope to see you at tailgates and parties around the country. There are plenty more details to follow about the fun in store for the AT&T Red River Showdown, SEC Championship and more. Stay tuned and enjoy kickoff this weekend!

Monday, September 5, 2016

Serena Williams Now Has More Grand Slam Wins Than Any Player Ever



NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Serena Williams stormed into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open in record-smashing style on Monday, easing past Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova 6-2 6-3 to claim grand slam win number 308.



The world number one needed just 68 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium court to overwhelm the 52nd-ranked Shvedova and move past Roger Federer to the top of the all-time grand slam victories list.



“Oh wow, it is really exciting, this is where it all started so it is always so magical out here for me but 308 sounds pretty good,” Williams said about her landmark win, after moving a step closer to a record seventh U.S. Open title.



It has been another dominating run into the last eight for the 34-year-old American, who has yet to be broken and has faced just one break point in four matches while never spending more than 68 minutes on court.



Next up for Williams is fifth seed Romanian Simona Halep, who brushed past 11th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 7-5.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Clinton enters fall with key advantages in White House race

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at Futuramic Tool & Engineering in Warren, Michigan August 11, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Keane - RTSMQP2

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at Futuramic Tool & Engineering in Warren, Michigan August 11, 2016. Photo by Chris Keane/Reuters


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Two months from Election Day, Hillary Clinton has a clear edge over Donald Trump in nearly every measure traditionally used to gauge success in presidential races.


She's raising huge sums of money and flooding airwaves with television advertisements. A sophisticated data team with a history of winning White House contests is meticulously tracking voters in key battleground states. Clinton also has multiple paths to the 270 electoral votes needed to win in November - so many that she could lose Ohio and Florida and still become America's first female president.


But Trump's campaign believes there are pockets of voters eager to be persuaded not to back Clinton. While Trump squandered a summer's worth of opportunities to court those voters, his campaign heads into the fall suddenly confident in its ability to make up lost ground.


Trump aides were gleeful Friday over the release of FBI notes regarding Clinton's controversial email practices while secretary of state. His campaign plans to come out of the Labor Day weekend wielding the report as a warning about the Democrat's judgment.


Getting Trump to make that kind of consistent case against Clinton has been a herculean task for much of the campaign. But advisers say he's more receptive to his new leadership team's more scripted approach, mostly because it's coincided with a tightening in the public polls he monitors obsessively.


[Watch Video]

“There's a renewed focus on Hillary Clinton and her problems, which I think has been beneficial,” said Matt Borges, the chairman of Ohio's Republican Party. “He's got to sustain this for another couple weeks.”


Still, Trump aides acknowledge that the brash businessman needs to more to address his own shaky standing with voters.


Trump's campaign has spent no general election money on positive, biographical ads, despite having plenty of cash to do so. Efforts to highlight a warmer side of the New York real estate developer at the GOP convention were quickly overshadowed by flaps of his own making. He's also angered anew Hispanics voters, a fast-growing segment of the electorate that Republicans are desperate to draw from, by holding fast to his tough immigration policies.


“He's running up against a population trend and a demographic reality,” said Steve Schale, a Florida-based Democratic strategist.


If Trump can reshape the race, he'll need to do so quickly. Early voting begins in some states this month. North Carolinians can start submitting absentee ballots Friday. In Ohio - a state no Republican has won the White House without - people can start voting on Oct. 12, a week before the last of three presidential debates.


Both campaigns expect enormous audiences for the debates. Clinton, who has been in intensive study sessions with her debate team in recent days, is sure to face higher expectations from voters. Trump's political inexperience leaves him with a lower bar to clear.


Privately, Republican leaders say it will take more than strong debates for their nominee to alter a race that appears to be leaning in Clinton's favor. While Trump publicly maintains support from numerous high-ranking GOP officials, a striking number of discussions among Republicans in Washington often begin with an assumption that Clinton will be president come January.


Trump advisers vigorously dispute that the race has slipped from their grasp. They contend most Americans are just now tuning into the presidential campaign in a serious way.


“We're very much on schedule to do what we need to do to turn out the vote for Mr. Trump,” said Bob Paduchik, Trump's Ohio state director and one of the most experienced operatives on the Republican's staff. Paduchik said Trump's efforts heading into the fall are focused primarily on rallying “disaffected Democrats and independents.”


Clinton's campaign has long argued that Trump is overestimating the number of voters willing to switch from voting Democratic in presidential election to Republican. But Clinton aides are monitoring movement toward a pair of third party candidates, Libertarian Gary Johnson and the Green Party's Jill Stein.


“There's no question you've got two candidates who are both underwater on their favorables right now,” Joel Benenson, Clinton's chief strategist and pollster, said by way of explaining the appeal of Johnson and Stein. “I think it's important as this gets closer that people understand the stakes and the importance of their vote.”


Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine will have an all-star stable of Democrats making that case on their behalf through the fall.


President Barack Obama is expected to spend much of October campaigning for Clinton, focusing in particular on increasing turnout among young people, blacks and college-educated whites. Vice President Joe Biden will camp out in working class areas of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton's vanquished primary rival, will be rallying the young voters and liberals who backed his campaign.


Trump will be largely on his own, with the exception of running mate Mike Pence and a few loyal supporters such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In the battle for control of the Senate, most Republicans in competitive races have stayed away from Trump.


Democrats now see a clear path to taking back control of the Senate, with party leaders identifying Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as favorable opportunities to pick up seats. Democrats are also confident that if Clinton wins in some of the most contested state such as New Hampshire, North Carolina and Nevada, she'll bring along the party's Senate candidates.


There are bright spots for Republicans in the Senate contests. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio is running a campaign that mirrors Clinton's more than Trump's - disciplined, well-funded, and heavily centered on data - and appears on track to hold his seat, even if Clinton carries the state in the presidential race.


Associated Press writer Chad Day in Washington contributed to this report.


The post Clinton enters fall with key advantages in White House race appeared first on PBS NewsHour.