Sunday, May 31, 2015

Betsy Palmer, '"Friday The 13th" Slasher Star, Dies At 88

Palmer was first known for her appearances on early television, but gained more notoriety in the ’80s as the murderous Mrs. Voorhees of Friday The 13th.

Mark Lennihan / AP

Actor Betsy Palmer, a television pioneer who went on to play one of film's first slashers, has died at age 88.

Her longtime manager told the Associated Press on Sunday that Palmer had died of natural causes on Friday at a Connecticut hospice care center.

Palmer played Mrs. Voorhees, the camp cook and mother of Jason Voorhees, in 1980's Friday the 13th.

Palmer played Mrs. Voorhees, the camp cook and mother of Jason Voorhees, in 1980's Friday the 13th.

Paramount Pictures / Via sodahead.com

She told reporters she never expected the film to become a cult classic; she had taken the role to pay for a new car.

"I'm the queen of the slashers," she said bemusedly in one 2005 interview.

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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

$100,000 Offered To Unknown Woman Who Donated Vintage Apple Computer

A recycling company sold the rare Apple 1 computer to a collector for $200,000 after it was donated by an unidentified woman. Less than 100 of the computers — which were built by hand — are known to still exist.

After a Bay Area woman dropped off boxes of old electronics to a recycling company last month, workers found a rarity mixed in with the keyboards and cables.

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Clean Bay Area said the unknown woman dropped off several boxes of e-waste at their recycling center in Milpitas, California. She left without leaving her name, but she told workers she decided to clean the boxes of old equipment from her garage after her husband died.

Weeks later, a manager opened the boxes and found an Apple 1 computer inside.

"We really couldn't believe our eyes. We thought it was fake," Clean Bay Area Vice President Victor Gichun told NBC Bay Area.

The company sold the vintage computer to a collector for about $200,000, and now, they're looking for the woman to give her half of the proceeds.

Ben Margot / AP


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

English Soccer Stars Apologize, Sent Home After Video Of Racist Thai Orgy Leaks

The video obtained by the Sunday Mirror newspaper shows the three players engaging in sex acts with Thai women while making racist remarks.

The players then shared the video with friends back in the U.K., according to the Sunday Mirror.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Rescued "Gay" Bull Actually Prefers The Opposite Sex, Animal Sanctuary Says

Benjy was set to be sent to a slaughterhouse last year when he wouldn’t mate with cows, but The Simpsons’ late co-creator Sam Simon donated more than $7,000 to send the bull to an animal sanctuary instead.

Benjy the bull walks in a field in Couny Mayo Ireland on Sunday Nov. 2, 2014.

Joanna Mcnicholas / AP

Benjy, popularly known as the gay bull, has turned his affections to females since settling in at an animal sanctuary, the BBC reported.

The bull was owned by an Irish farmer who was set to send him to be slaughtered after the bull failed to mate with any cows. Animal and gay rights groups launched a campaign to #SaveBenjy, which caught the attention of Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon.

Simon, who died in March of cancer, donated millions of dollars to charity after leaving the animated show. A longtime vegan, Simon was a supporter of PETA and also put up $7,800 (£5,000) to purchase Benjy and bring him to an animal sanctuary.

Mike Blake / Reuters

Veterinarians had determined Benjy was fertile, but they noted he was more attracted to other bulls than the opposite sex. He was taken to the Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk.

At the animal sanctuary, Benjy was castrated. But after months in his new home, the sanctuary founder said the bull has changed.

"Judging by what he was trying to do the other day with one of the cows... he isn't gay," Wendy Valentine told the BBC.

News of Benjy's sexuality spectrum soon reverberated across the world's media.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

This Is What It's Like When Lightning Strikes In Front Of Your Car

Welp.

Police in Gautier, Mississippi, uploaded this video on Tuesday of squad car dash cam footage that is slowly taking the internet by, well, storm.

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Officer Mark Rodriguez was driving along the I-10 when suddenly.... ⚡️

Officer Mark Rodriguez was driving along the I-10 when suddenly.... ⚡️

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Check out the trail of smoke the lightning leaves behind.

Check out the trail of smoke the lightning leaves behind.

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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

FIFA Exec Charged With Corruption Cites An "Onion" Article As Evidence Of U.S. Bias

FIFA is now officially a parody of itself.

Using an article from the fake news website The Onion as evidence, former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner alleged Sunday the U.S. had pursued corruption charges against him and other executives out of spite at having lost the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

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After the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced charges against Warner and 13 others, The Onion published this parody article.

After the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced charges against Warner and 13 others, The Onion published this parody article.

theonion.com

"At press time, the U.S. national team was leading defending champions Germany in the World Cup's opening match after being awarded 12 penalties in the game's first three minutes," the story continued.

All this was good enough for Warner to record an 8-minute video in which he lashed out at the charges against him.

All this was good enough for Warner to record an 8-minute video in which he lashed out at the charges against him.

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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

"Extensive Damage" After Crane Collapses Into Building In Midtown Manhattan

The crane was lifting an air conditioning unit onto the 30-story building when it collapsed.

The crane was lifting what appeared to be an air conditioning unit onto the roof of the building when it fell to the ground, an NYPD spokesman told BuzzFeed News.

As the crane fell, it hit the side of the building causing "extensive damage," the spokesman said.

The building is on the corner of Madison Avenue and West 38th Street.

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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Veteran CBS Anchor Bob Schieffer Retires After Decades As A Newsman

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Bob Schieffer, a veteran of broadcast television news who anchored the CBS program Face The Nation for almost a quarter of a century, retired Sunday with a final episode that balanced news and nostalgia.

Schieffer has been with the CBS network for 46 years, 24 of which he spent anchoring Face The Nation.

"I'm going to miss being in the middle of things," Schieffer told viewers Sunday morning, "but the one thing I'll never forget is the trust you placed in me and how nice you were to have me as guest in your home over so many years."

Facebook: bobschieffer

The 78-year-old said he first wanted to work in news after seeing his byline in his school newspaper as a student reporter.

"Maybe it's just because I love the news, but at the time I thought every job I ever had was the best job in the world," he said, reflecting on a career that saw him interview world leaders and work under his idol, Walter Cronkite.

Ever the newsman, Sunday's episode saw Schieffer interview former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on his possible plans to seek the Republican presidential nomination, as well as CIA Director John Brennan on national security and the impending expiration of the Patriot Act.

During his reporting career, Schieffer won a suite of awards, including eight Emmys, and was named a "living legend" by the Library of Congress in 2008.

Having served as the CBS network's chief Washington correspondent since 1982, Schieffer is one of the few reporters to have covered the capital's four major "beats:" the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the halls of Congress.

"Face The Nation was here long before I came to CBS. I know I'm leaving it in good hands," he said along side the show's crew and new host John Dickerson, who all farewelled Schieffer with a round of applause.

His retirement was acknowledged by many in the media industry, as well as some of the politicians he spent decades grilling on air.



SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Silvio Berlusconi Accidentally Showed Up At A Rival's Campaign Rally

Mamma mia.

Meet Paolo Micheli, a candidate for mayor in the Italian town of Segrate, outside of Milan, with the left-leaning Democratic Party

Meet Paolo Micheli, a candidate for mayor in the Italian town of Segrate, outside of Milan, with the left-leaning Democratic Party

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He even has a campaign van with his face on it.

He even has a campaign van with his face on it.

Facebook: salianchetu

And this is, of course, Silvio Berlusconi, the scandal-prone former Italian prime minister and convicted tax cheat, who is aligned with the right-wing Forza Italia party.

And this is, of course, Silvio Berlusconi, the scandal-prone former Italian prime minister and convicted tax cheat, who is aligned with the right-wing Forza Italia party.

Antonio Calanni / ASSOCIATED PRESS

On Friday, according to Micheli, Berlusconi and his bodyguards accidentally turned up at the Democratic candidate's rally instead of that of Micheli's Forza Italia rival, before mixing with the baffled crowds.

On Friday, according to Micheli, Berlusconi and his bodyguards accidentally turned up at the Democratic candidate's rally instead of that of Micheli's Forza Italia rival, before mixing with the baffled crowds.

Alberto Pizzoli / Getty Images


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Russian Police Break Up Unsanctioned LGBT Rally In Moscow

Police detained both queer and anti-LGBT activists.

A group of LGBT activists were detained by police in Moscow on Saturday after attempting to hold a pride parade that had not been sanctioned by authorities.

A group of LGBT activists were detained by police in Moscow on Saturday after attempting to hold a pride parade that had not been sanctioned by authorities.

Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters

For the tenth year in a row, the campaigners' application to hold a pride rally was rejected by city authorities, Reuters reported.

For the tenth year in a row, the campaigners' application to hold a pride rally was rejected by city authorities, Reuters reported.

Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

A 2013 law bans so-called "gay propaganda" in Russia, and the wide-ranging legislation has been used to stamp out public support for LGBT rights.

A 2013 law bans so-called "gay propaganda" in Russia, and the wide-ranging legislation has been used to stamp out public support for LGBT rights.

Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

On Saturday, activists who gathered in Tverskaya Square in central Moscow were met by riot police, as well as anti-LGBT protesters who attempted to disrupt the gathering and destroy pride flags.

On Saturday, activists who gathered in Tverskaya Square in central Moscow were met by riot police, as well as anti-LGBT protesters who attempted to disrupt the gathering and destroy pride flags.

Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

People Are Outraged At United Airlines Over The Alleged Treatment Of A Muslim Female Passenger

Tahera Ahmad posted on Facebook that she faced discrimination and verbal abuse while she was on board a United Airlines flight on Friday.

This is Tahera Ahmad, an associate chaplain at Northwestern University.

This is Tahera Ahmad, an associate chaplain at Northwestern University.

Tahera Ahmad / Facebook

On Friday, Ahmad posted an emotional message on Facebook detailing alleged racial and Islamophobic abuse she faced while on board a United Airlines flight.

In the post, she wrote that she was refused an unopened can of Diet Coke. When she asked why, the air steward allegedly told her that crew members were "unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane."

After complaining to the crew member, and publicly, Ahmad claims that she was then subjected to verbal abuse, with one passenger saying, "You Moslem, you need to shut the fuck up."

Tahera Ahmad / Facebook


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Thursday, May 28, 2015

James Holmes Was Sane During The Aurora Movie Theater Shooting, Psychiatrist Says

POOL / Reuters

A court-appointed psychiatrist testified Thursday that while James Holmes suffers from severe mental illness, he met the legal definition of sanity when he entered an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater in 2012 and began shooting, killing 12 people.

"My opinion is that whatever he suffered from, it did not prevent him from forming the intent and knowing what he was doing, and the consequences of what he was doing," William Reid said.

Reid's assessment was unexpected in court; defense attorneys unsuccessfully moved for the judge to call a mistrial. Ultimately, the judge reviewed the legal definition of insanity with the jury, and District Attorney George Brauchler said prosecutors would be careful to avoid any "missteps" in future testimony.

Reid was the first psychiatrist to testify in the trial of Holmes, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to 12 counts of murder and 70 counts of attempted murder. In coming to his conclusion, Reid said he spent 22 hours interviewing Holmes, spoke with his friends and family, and reviewed the reports of other doctors. Reid said he also pored over jail logs and other written documents connected with the 27-year-old's life.

Brauchler has said he intends to show all 22 hours Reid's interviews with Holmes, but on Thursday, the jury only heard the first hour-and-a-half.

After inquiring about his family's reaction to visiting him in prison, Reid asked Holmes, "What brings tears to your eyes sometimes?"

"Uh, just regrets," Holmes said.

"Usually before I go to sleep."

"About the shooting."

Colorado Judicial Department

Reid did not meet Holmes in person until two years after the shooting massacre, and during their interviews, Holmes was taking medication that included an anti-psychotic drug and an anti-depressant.

"Lots of things had happened between the shootings and the time I saw him and the time the videos were made," Reid said.

Instead, Reid said he focused his attention on Holmes' behavior before the shooting and the first seven to 10 days in jail, using logs and soundless surveillance video.

"He was pretty much like other inmates might appear," Reid said. "There was nothing unusual psychiatrically going on."

To find Holmes guilty, prosecutors must show he was capable of distinguishing right from wrong, and that he had the capacity to form a "culpable mental state," or to know what he was doing.

Reid said he was most interested in determining what Holmes was capable of on July 19-20, 2012.

"Diagnosis is not the important thing in my view," he said. "It’s how is he functioning, what is he capable of."

In his interviews, Reid starts by asking Holmes what he thinks people should know about him.

"I'm kinda shy, I guess," Holmes said, adding, "I don't like to talk a lot."

Arlene and Robert Holmes, the parents of Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes.

Doug Pensinger / Getty Images


He described his family and a normal, suburban upbringing, first in Salinas, California, then in San Diego. He ran cross country and played soccer; his father was the coach. With his mother and little sister, he'd do craft projects and helped cook spaghetti. He made friends with other boys, and they'd play capture the flag, then as they got older, video games.

Holmes also did well academically in high school and at UC Riverside. Dorm life made it easier for him to make friends, and he spent the summer between sophomore and junior year as a counselor at a camp for underprivileged kids.

He lived at home for a year after getting his bachelor's degree, working for several months in a repetitive job at a vitamin factory. Finally, he got into the University of Colorado's prestigious neuroscience program, where he also met his first girlfriend.

Holmes told Reid he liked pop and techno music, specifically naming Tiesto. Prosecutors previously described how Holmes wore bluetooth headphones during the shooting rampage to listen to electronic music at full volume turned as he fired.

"It kind of helps me focus," Holmes told Reid. "I'd use it a lot when I was reading academic journals to wash out excess sounds."



SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Google Unveils Android Pay, A Revamped Google Wallet

Announced on the heels of Apple Pay at Google’s annual developers’ conference, the tap-to-pay service will be available at 700,000 stores.

At today's I/O conference, Google Vice President of Engineering Dave Burke unveiled Android Pay, Google's new in-app and tap-to-pay mobile payments service. Payments will employ "near-field communication," or NFC, to allow users to pay for goods and services with a preloaded credit card by simply placing their phones near a merchant terminal.

Burke said that Android Pay will be available in over 700,000 stores, including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and McDonald's locations, in addition working within apps such as GrubHub, Uber, and Groupon. Payments can also be authorized with a user's fingerprint. At I/O, Burke said Payments would be available "soon."

Burke said Pay "builds on work we did in previous Android releases," and indeed, Google first rolled out a payments service, then called Google Wallet, in 2011. But it never took off, as it wasn't available in many stores and a number of users didn't even realize they could make payments with their phone. Google recently acquired technology assets from SoftCard, formerly known as Isis, a mobile payments company founded by a consortium of wireless carriers. At the same time, Google made a deal with carriers to have Google Wallet pre-installed on phones. Google also has deals with the major credit card networks — American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa — to support Android Pay.

Right now, Apple Pay is the clear leader in mobile payments from consumers to merchants. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in January that Apple Pay does $2 out of every $3 of contactless payments for MasterCard, American Express, and Visa. It has also successfully signed up major banks and merchants like Best Buy, Whole Foods, McDonald's and is available at nearly 700,000 merchant locations, Tim Cook said in March.

But it's still a relatively small market. Forrester Research estimated that there were $52 billion of mobile payments in 2014, which includes in-person payments, payments done through mobile apps remotely, and peer to payments like Venmo). 22 percent of cell phone owners made at least one mobile payment in 2014, and a third of cell phone users between aged 18 and 29 did, according to a Federal Reserve survey.

The main reason people don't use mobile payments, according to the Federal Reserve, is that they're not noticeably more convenient than credit or debit cards. 75 percent of the respondents in the Fed survey said that it was easier to pay with credit or debit cards, and 59 percent said they were concerned about the security of mobile payments. Like with Apple Pay, Android Pay will not convey a credit card number to the merchant, and will instead receive what's known as a unique token for each transaction.



SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Pentagon Accidentally Ships Live Anthrax, Up To 26 People Possibly Exposed

The anthrax samples were shipped from an Army facility in Utah to as many as nine states, as well as a base in South Korea. More than two dozen people may have been exposed, but authorities said there is no risk to the public.

Victor R. Caivano / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Up to 26 people have received precautionary treatment for anthrax exposure after a U.S. Army facility in Utah accidentally shipped the live spores out, the Associated Press reported.

No was no known immediate risk to the public, officials said.

"There is no known risk to the general public, and there are no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax infection in potentially exposed lab workers," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said.

Authorities confirmed live spores had been shipped from Dugway Proving Ground to a lab in Maryland, the AP reported, and anthrax samples from the same batch may have gone to labs in nine other locations.

One of the potentially live samples went to Osan Air Base in South Korea, where personnel had expected to receive inert spores to use in a training exercise. The contained area was immediately cordoned off, officials said, and the sample was destroyed.

Personnel involved in the training had been following anthrax handling procedures, but 22 people received precautionary treatment measures, which can include antibiotics and vaccines. An anthrax vaccine is mandatory for services members serving in Korea and Central Command for 15 days or more, as well as those serving in some specialty units.

Four other people in three U.S. commercial labs were also potentially exposed and have received preventive treatment, the AP reported.



SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Suspect Arrested In Huge Downtown L.A. Apartment Complex Fire

The fire on Dec. 8, 2014, caused more than $20 million in damage to downtown Los Angeles.

Gene Blevins / Reuters

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to the construction site of a seven-story apartment complex in downtown L.A.

The fire at the Da Vinci apartment complex in December could be seen for miles and caused an estimated $20 million to $30 million in damage. It also damaged neighboring buildings and the adjacent 110 Freeway.

The pillar of flames burned so hotly that it shattered nearby glass that rained down on the more than 200 firefighters.

Los Angeles fire officials and the county district attorney planned to hold a news conference Wednesday evening at L.A. City Hall to announce the arrest.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the suspect was Dawud Abdulwali, a 56-year-old Los Angeles resident.

On Wednesday, he was being held in jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

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The complex was being developed by Geoff Palmer as the latest in a series of designs criticized for their faux-Renaissance style and blocking out the neighboring community.

Investigators reviewed 75,000 square feet of debris as well as surveillance footage from neighboring buildings.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Here's What James Holmes Wrote In His Notebook Before The Aurora Theater Shooting

Holmes sent the notebook to his former psychiatrist before going on a shooting rampage that left 12 people dead. Attorneys have debated what its contents show about Holmes’ sanity.

James Holmes is seated during his trial in Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colorado in this still image captured from a pool video footage April 27, 2015.

POOL / Reuters

Unintelligible equations of morality joined methodical plans of mass murder in the journal James Holmes mailed to his former psychiatrist and addressed to his family.

As the trial of Holmes — charged with 12 counts of murder and 70 counts of attempted murder — entered its second month, court officials in Arapahoe County, Colorado, on Wednesday released images of the journal's contents for the first time. The writings had been under seal since the 2012 shooting at the Century 21 movie theater in Aurora, though attorneys referred to its contents during opening statements.

Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, his attorneys contending the attack took place amid a severe psychotic episode. The journal shows his obsession to kill, his unsuccessful attempts to seek help, and his reality — distorted by schizophrenia — in which he did not see his actions as wrong, defense attorneys have said.

Prosecutors describe the journal as evidence of an intelligent young man pursuing horrific crimes. The writings do not indicate that Holmes was insane at the time, prosecutors argue, and so he deserves the death penalty.

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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Sepp Blatter, "The Godfather" Of Soccer, Faces His Toughest Opponent: Loretta Lynch

Steve Bardens / Getty Images

After U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced charges Wednesday against 14 international soccer officials and corporate executives over alleged corruption at the pinnacle of the world's most popular sport, the first question she was asked by a reporter at her Brooklyn, New York, press conference was about a man not named in the federal indictment: Sepp Blatter.

The 79-year-old has captained soccer's world governing body, FIFA, since 1998, despite his organization being dogged by corruption allegations for years.

"We used to call him years ago the 'Teflon Man' because nothing sticks," one former European senior sports media executive, who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely on the issue, told BuzzFeed News. "He gets away with everything."

In her response to the reporter's question, however, Lynch made clear that Blatter isn't yet out of the woods: "I'm not going to comment on the status of any individual who isn't named to date, because that would be unfair...[but] I can say this investigation is ongoing. It's continuing."

For years, allegations have simmered about ugly, criminal conduct at the highest levels of "the beautiful game:" bribes and kickbacks from sports marketing companies to FIFA officials in exchange for lucrative contracts; an insular executive concerned only with protecting — and enriching — itself; a bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments marred by purchased votes (a claim Swiss prosecutors are now investigating, in addition to FIFA's Ethics Committee). But, despite it all, no evidence has been found to tie Blatter to any of the alleged criminal conduct.

"He's street smart," the European senior executive told BuzzFeed News. "There is nothing written down because he uses all his idiots around him to do the dirty work so he's never in the firing line."

"He's the 'Godfather,'" the executive added, describing FIFA as a mob-like organization. "He created this system."

Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images

Alexandra Wrage is a corporate governance consultant who was hired by Blatter to sit on a FIFA committee designed to clean up the organization. She ultimately resigned in April 2013 out of frustration at a perceived lack of progress.

Wrage told BuzzFeed News the sport's governing body had been corrupt for years.

“It’s really time for FIFA to draw a line and put this era of corruption behind them,” she said. “Shoddy governance, widespread misconduct, and now clearly illegal conduct cannot continue — and neither can those who have presided over it.”

Before the federal charges were announced Wednesday, Blatter was widely expected to be comfortably re-elected for a fifth term as FIFA president at a meeting of officials on Friday. Among those calling for a postponement of the FIFA Congress meeting and presidential elections was the executive committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), one of six continental confederations that comprise FIFA.

"There is a need for the whole of FIFA to be 'rebooted' and for a real reform to be carried out," UEFA said in a statement, citing "a strong need for a change to the leadership of this FIFA."

Loretta Lynch and Kelly Currie at Wednesday's news conference.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Also calling for a "new start" for FIFA was Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly T. Currie of the Eastern District of New York, who helped steer the Department of Justice investigation.

"After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start," Currie said.

"Let me be clear: This indictment is not the final chapter in our investigation," he said, echoing Lynch's comments.

But, under American law, any possible charges against Blatter by U.S. officials will depend on prosecutors finding evidence of not only criminal conduct, but conduct which somehow spread, however slightly, to the U.S. legal or financial/banking system.

"If you look at what happened today," the European executive said, "you only have people from North, Central, and South America who were arrested." (Briton Costas Takkas, attaché to the president of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, was the only exception.) "They have only indicted people who committed a crime on American soil, involving an American bank — something where the Department of Justice can really get its hands on."

The indictment, the executive said, doesn't apply to the African and Asian football officials who, in his words, "are so much worse than the guys arrested today."

"If you arrested everyone involved with corruption today, you probably wouldn't have a FIFA Congress," he said.

Clive Rose / Getty Images

Blatter has previously made light of the corruption allegations against his organization and critics of his tenure as president.

"Perhaps you think I am a ruthless parasite sucking the lifeblood out of the world and out of football — the Godfather of the FIFA gravy train," he told students at Oxford University in 2013. "There are those who will tell you that FIFA is just a conspiracy, a scam, accountable to nobody. There are those who will tell you of the supposed sordid secrets that lie deep in our Bond villain headquarters in the hills above Zurich."

However, despite his past tendencies to shake off controversy, the Department of Justice investigation represents the biggest threat to Blatter's tenure as president, one that could also shake the very foundations of FIFA.

"This is a difficult time for football, the fans, and for FIFA as an organization," Blatter said in a statement Wednesday. "We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us."

For now, though, Blatter's somber mood has his detractors celebrating.

"I'm really cheerful today," the sports media executive told BuzzFeed News. "It's a good start. It's only the beginning, but I don't think Blatter is sleeping well at the moment."


Top FIFA Officials Arrested On Suspicion Of Corruption

Here Are The FIFA Officials Indicted On Corruption Charges

Former FIFA Vice President Accused Of Rigging 2010 World Cup Vote For South Africa

Meet The Jordanian Prince Running Against Sepp Blatter In The FIFA Presidential Election




SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Top FIFA Officials Arrested On Suspicion Of Corruption

“This is the World Cup of fraud and today we are issuing FIFA a red card,” the head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation said.

FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter speaks to journalists in Zurich on Friday.

Ennio Leanza / AP

The soccer world was rocked early Wednesday when Swiss police rounded up several FIFA officials accused of taking part in a massive corruption scandal, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives face charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and corruption for their "participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer," according to the 47-count indictment unsealed Wednesday. In addition to those indicted, four individuals and two companies previously pleaded guilty to charges.

"They were expected to uphold the rules that keep soccer honest, and protect the integrity of the game," Attorney General Loretta Lynch told reporters Wednesday morning in New York City. "Instead, they corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and enrich themselves."

Swiss police arrested seven of the FIFA officials in Zurich early Wednesday. At least some of the arrests took place at Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, where officials were gathering ahead of the organization's presidential vote on Friday. The officials were detained pending extradition, and authorities in Switzerland said they were acting in coordination with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

The arrests came at the request of the U.S. Justice Department and are the result of a three-year FBI investigation.

"This is the World Cup of fraud and today we are issuing FIFA a red card," Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation told reporters.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch addresses reporters in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday.

Mark Lennihan / AP

According to the DOJ, all of the defendants were facing charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses.

"The indictment alleges corruption is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.

"After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start -- a new chance for its governing institutions to provide honest oversight and support of a sport that is beloved across the world, increasingly so here in the United States," Lynch said.

Under American law, federal officials have the power to bring charges against foreigners abroad if there is a connection to the United States. Lynch alleged those charged "abused the U.S. financial system and violated U.S. law."

"They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament," she said.

Swiss officials also said their American counterparts had good reason to pursue the case. "According to U.S. request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the U.S., and payments were carried out via U.S. banks," the Swiss Office of Justice told CNN.

The indictment also alleged FIFA's 2011 presidential election was marred by corruption and bribery, and that this illegal behavior extended to a sponsorship agreement between Brazil's national team and a "major U.S. sportswear company." The company was not named directly in the indictment.

In a statement, Brazil's national soccer federation said it "fully supports the investigation" and "reaffirms its commitment to truth and transparency."


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Vatican Leader Calls Irish Marriage Equality Vote A "Defeat For Humanity"

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, told reporters Tuesday the Catholic Church was against “moves to equate gay unions with traditional marriages.”

Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters

A top Vatican leader on Tuesday emphasized the Catholic Church's opposition to marriage between same-sex couples, calling Ireland's marriage equality referendum a "defeat for humanity."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, spoke to reporters Tuesday in Vatican City.

"I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity," he said, Italian wire service ANSA reported. "The family remains at the center and we have to do everything to defend it and promote it."

The cardinal added he was deeply saddened by the Irish referendum, the first time a nation has approved marriage equality by popular vote. The measure passed with 62.1% of the vote.

"The Church must take account of this reality, but in the sense that it must strengthen its commitment to evangelization," Parolin told reporters.

Charles McQuillan / Getty Images

In Ireland, the archbishop of Dublin earlier this week called the vote a "reality check" for the church.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said the church could not deny reality as it worked to reconnect with young people in Ireland.

"I ask myself, most of these young people who voted yes are products of our Catholic school system for 12 years. I'm saying there's a big challenge there to see how we get across the message of the Church," he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

AOL Chief To Get $59 Million Bonus For Selling The Company

Tim Armstrong stands to receive “Founders’ Incentive Reward” for orchestrating the Verizon deal. He also gets access to the Verizon corporate jet.

Brian Ach / Getty Images

AOL's deal to sell itself to Verizon for $4.4 billion will enrich CEO Tim Armstrong even more than previously thought.

Armstrong is set to receive a "Founders' Incentive Reward" when the merger closes, the company said in an SEC filing today, a package that includes restricted stock worth 1.5% of AOL's market capitalization. At today's stock price, the award would be worth about $59 million.

In addition, the filing said, Armstrong will be able to use the Verizon corporate jet for business travel.

Armstrong stands to get half of the bonus package three years after the merger is completed, followed by the other half a year later. Starting in 2016, he will be eligible for awards of up to $3 million worth of Verizon stock.

That's on top of the windfall Armstrong is getting through his personal ownership of AOL stock and options. At the time of the deal, Armstrong owned or controlled 6.7% of AOL's shares, with a market value of $280 million.

Much of that was in the form of options and other awards he was given for his service as CEO. His direct ownership of stock, worth about $60 million at the price of the deal, came from his investing over $20 million of his own money to buy shares over the years.

The filing also shed light on the path leading up to the acquisition deal.

Before deciding to sell itself to Verizon, AOL considered striking a joint venture with the telecom giant. Those talks, starting late last year, continued until April, when Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam suggested that Verizon instead buy AOL outright.

AOL also considered spinning off certain of its "brand assets," a portfolio that includes TechCrunch, Engadget, and The Huffington Post, but ultimately decided against that idea.

Verizon wasn't the only suitor to approach AOL about a possible deal. AOL also fielded interest from two other companies and a private equity firm, according to the filing, which did not identify the rival suitors.

The seeds of the Verizon-AOL deal were sown at the annual conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, hosted by the investment bank Allen & Company. At the conference, which draws power players from media and technology, Armstrong and McAdam "met and discussed ongoing and emerging trends in their respective industries," the filing says.

At the Sun Valley confab, reporters staked out a meeting between Armstrong and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who is also a former Google colleague of the AOL chief. Some speculated that the two could be planting the seeds of a merger between their companies, one that has been rumored or called for at least eight times since 2008.

LINK: AOL Chief’s Stake In Company Now Worth $280 Million

LINK: Verizon Likely To Retain TechCrunch And Engadget


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Massive Storm System Leaves 21 Dead From Mexico To Oklahoma

At least eight people have died in Oklahoma and Texas in the past four days due to the heavy rainfall, and another 12 are still missing. Another 13 people were killed in Mexico.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Monday, May 25, 2015

Cause Of Death Undetermined For Toddler Found Being Pushed On Swing Set

A sheriff’s deputy in Maryland was checking on the welfare of the mother when he discovered the toddler on the swing set had been dead for hours. The mother is undergoing a medical evaluation, authorities said.

Starflamedia / Getty Images

An autopsy of a 3-year-old found dead as his mother pushed him on a swing has not determined the boy's death, the Associated Press reported.

The boy's 24-year-old mother remained hospitalized on Monday, authorities told the AP, and investigation into how the child died would also continue.

A sheriff's deputy found the mother Friday at a Maryland park pushing her dead 3-year-old on the swing, possibly for hours.

Authorities believe the toddler had been deceased for several hours when the deputy found her, and that the mother may have been pushing him on the swing at Wills Memorial Park in La Plata, Maryland, since the previous day.

"She was able to answer some questions for us," Diane Richardson, a spokesperson for the Charles County Sheriff's Office, told BuzzFeed News Friday.

Deputies were called at 7 a.m. when a resident near the park said the woman had been pushing the child for hours. The mother, Richardson said, had been seen near the same swing set, pushing the boy, since the previous day.

"She was seen there (yesterday), and we don't know if she ever left," Richardson said.

The deputy wanted to start performing CPR, but realized the child had been dead for several hours.

"It was really difficult for the officer to encounter the situation," Richardson said.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on the child, who was taken to the medical examiner to determine a cause of death.

The mother was also taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated, Richardson said.

She talked briefly with authorities, Richardson said, but declined to offer details.

GoFundMe


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Man Accused Of Shooting 11-Year-Old Boy With BB Gun Out Of Retaliation

The man told police in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, that the 11-year-old had previously shot the man’s 5-year-old son with a BB gun. The boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

WPXI / Via wpxi.com

An 11-year-old boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition after a man allegedly shot him with a BB gun in retaliation for a previous BB gun shooting involving his young son, the Associated Press reported.

Albert Clark, a 31-year-old resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was arrested and faces charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence, according to court records. On Monday, he remained in Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond.

According to the AP, Clark confronted the 11-year-old at a school playground on Sunday and shot twice. One of the pellets lodged in the boy's heart, WPXI reported, and he was taken to a hospital for surgery.

When Clark was later taken into custody, he told authorities he gave the gun away to a passerby after the shooting. He also told police he was upset that the 11-year-old had on Saturday shot Clark's 5-year-old son in the butt and attempted to shoot at him again on Sunday.



SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Report: Cleveland Reaches Settlement With Justice Department Over Policing

Federal officials last year alleged that Cleveland Police had engaged in “a pattern or practice of using excessive force.”

A protester is arrested after the acquittal of Cleveland Officer Michael Brelo on Saturday.

Tony Dejak / AP

Officials with the city of Cleveland and the Department of Justice have reached a settlement agreement that will determine what action will be taken after federal investigators last year alleged a pattern of unconstitutional behavior by the city's police, the New York Times reported Monday.

Citing "people briefed on the case," the newspaper said the terms of the settlement may be announced Tuesday.

It comes after DOJ investigators published a report last December that alleged Cleveland police officers routinely used unnecessary and excessive force against suspects, violating their constitutional rights.

The federal report also found "an unnecessary, excessive or retaliatory use of less lethal force [by Cleveland Police] including Tasers, chemical spray and fists."

Then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced at the time that city and federal officials would come together to "set in motion a process that will remedy these issues in a comprehensive -- and court-enforceable -- manner."

John Minchillo / AP

Cleveland's mayor, Frank Jackson, largely rejected the report's findings.

"We believe we have a problem in the Division of Police," Jackson said after its release. "We do not believe it is a systematic failure."

News of the reported settlement comes just days after Officer Michael Brelo was acquitted on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2012 deaths of two unarmed black suspects. Some 137 shots were fired into the pair's vehicle by police -- 49 of which came from Brelo's gun. However, the judge was unable to determine whether the shots fired by Brelo were those that killed Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. Hours of protests followed the court's decision.

Cleveland was also the scene of the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was killed by police while brandishing a toy gun in a playground.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Charter Communications Reportedly In Deal To Buy Time Warner Cable

Another bite at the apple for John Malone to create a cable colossus.

Mike Blake / Reuters

Time Warner Cable may be rushing back to the altar in a deal to be bought out by cable billionaire John Malone's Charter Communications, a month after a takeover attempt by Comcast failed amid regulatory scrutiny.

Bloomberg News reported earlier Monday that Charter was close to a $55 billion cash-and-stock deal with Time Warner Cable, paying around $195 a share for the company. Combined with the sixth largest cable operator Bright House, which Charter agreed to buy earlier this year for over $10 billion, the combined cable company would solidify itself as number two to Comcast and give it more ability to negotiate with the studios and entertainment companies that provide content for cable operators.

Charter and Time Warner combined would have about 15 million residential cable customers and 17 million residential internet customers. Bright House has 2.5 million paying customers. Time Warner has an especially large presence in New York City and Los Angeles. Comcast has 22.4 million cable and internet customers.

Currently, Charter is the fourth largest cable operator in the country. Comcast's deal with Time Warner put the value of the company's stock at about $159 a share, or $45.2 billion. On Friday, Time Warner Cable's stock closed at a little over $171.

Representatives from Time Warner Cable and Charter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Charter bid just over $61 billion for Time Warner Cable early last year before being rejected in favor of Comcast. A successful acquisition of Time Warner Cable would be another feather in the cap of John Malone, who does not have an official role at Charter beyond being a member of its board of directors and its largest shareholder through his investment vehicle Liberty Broadband, which also owns a stake in Time Warner Cable.

Since Malone sold his cable company TCI to AT&T for over $55 billion in 1999, he has been feverishly making entertainment and cable deals around the world that are often highly complex, spinning together an empire that includes, under some form of his control or influence, SiriusXM, Discovery Communications, the overseas cable company Liberty Global, and the media company Liberty Media.

An acquisition of Time Warner Cable would have to be approved by regulators, who already essentially rejected Comcast's bid, and are still considering AT&T's proposed $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV, which was first announced in May of last year.



SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Qatar Blocks Nepalese Workers From Returning Home For Earthquake Funerals

Employers in Qatar often confiscate foreign workers’ passports while they work in harsh conditions on construction sites.

Prakash Mathema / Getty Images

Thousands of Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar, toiling on construction sites for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, have been denied the chance to return home for the funerals of loved ones killed in last month's deadly earthquake, Nepal's government says.

More than 8,000 people were killed in the earthquake, but Nepal's government says Qatari companies are blocking people from leaving the country because of the need to complete the construction projects.

"After the earthquake of 25 April, we requested all companies in Qatar to give their Nepalese workers special leave and pay for their air fare home," Nepal's labor minister, Tek Bahadur Gurung, told the Guardian. "While workers in some sectors of the economy have been given this, those on World Cup construction sites are not being allowed to leave because of the pressure to complete projects on time."

"They have lost relatives and their homes and are enduring very difficult conditions in Qatar. This is adding to their suffering," Gurung said.

A Nepalese laborer working in Qatar stands outside his room at a private camp housing foreign workers in Doha.

Marwan Naamani / AFP / Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of South Asian workers have moved to the Gulf nation where they work in oppressive conditions amid extreme heat, according to the International Trade Union Confederation. Some 90% of workers have their passports confiscated by their employers, the ITUC wrote in a March 2014 report, with employers having near total control of the movement of their workers under the so-called "kafala" system.

"Fundamental rights and freedoms do not exist for workers in Qatar whether for poor migrant workers or highly paid professional expatriates," Sharan Burrow, the ITUC general secretary, writes in the report. "Foreign workers are enslaved -- owned by employers who hold the power of recruitment, total control over wages and conditions of employment, the authority to issue ID cards (not having an ID card can lead to prison) and the ability to refuse a change of employment or an exit visa to leave the country."

Last week, a team of BBC reporters investigating the working conditions in Qatar were arrested and interrogated for hours by authorities.

Gurang said FIFA and its corporate sponsors need to pressure Qatar to allow the workers to return home.

"Nothing will change for migrant workers until Fifa and its rich sponsors insist on it," he told the Guardian. "These are the people who are bringing the World Cup to Qatar. But we are a small, poor country and these powerful organizations are not interested in listening to us."


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Sunday, May 24, 2015

New Orleans Officer Fatally Shot In Squad Car

The body of the officer, who worked with the city’s housing authority, was found Sunday morning.

"It's a very hard thing to which one of your colleagues lose their life in the line of duty," Harrison said, adding that the crime is under investigation.

The officer's body was discovered around 7.am. local time, he said.

HANO Police Chief Robert Anderson said it was the first on-duty death of an officer in the department's history.

"It's a horrible day for us," Anderson said. "Truly sad. This is a young officer that was taken way too soon."

Grief counsellors have been made available to officers, Anderson and Harrison said.

"The death of this HANO police officer is an unspeakable tragedy, and a vile and cowardly act. Tragedies that involve our men and women in uniform affect our entire city and touch every member of our law enforcement community. We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our hearts and prayers are with the officer's friends and family and with the entire HANO family during this very difficult time.

"NOPD and HANO will work very closely to identify and arrest those responsible for this heinous assault. NOPD and HANO are part of the same close-knit law enforcement family that puts their lives on the line to protect and serve the people of New Orleans. Never are we more aware of the risk they face every day than we are on terrible days like this.


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

"A Beautiful Mind" Mathematician John Nash And Wife Killed In Taxi Crash

The genius, who struggled with schizophrenia, was played by the actor Russell Crowe in the 2001 biopic A Beautiful Mind.

Mathematician John Nash and his wife Alicia, whose lives were the subject of the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind, were killed Saturday in a taxi crash in New Jersey, police told BuzzFeed News.

Mathematician John Nash and his wife Alicia, whose lives were the subject of the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind, were killed Saturday in a taxi crash in New Jersey, police told BuzzFeed News.

John Forbes Nash and his wife Alicia at the Oscars in 2002.

Fred Prouser / Reuters

The pair were killed at the New Jersey Turnpike around 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday when the cab they were traveling in crashed while trying to pass another vehicle, New Jersey state police spokesman Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams said.

The couple, who were not believed to have been wearing seat belts, were thrown from the vehicle and died on scene, Williams said.

The cab driver was injured in the crash and flown to hospital, he said.

Renowned for his work in game theory, the former Princeton University professor won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994.

Renowned for his work in game theory, the former Princeton University professor won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994.

Charles Rex Arbogast / ASSOCIATED PRESS


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed

Saturday, May 23, 2015

This Newspaper's Headline About A Trans Woman Is A Total Mess

SMH, @smh.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Saturday published this interview with a young, Australian transgender woman named Marco who gave this inspiring quote.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Saturday published this interview with a young, Australian transgender woman named Marco who gave this inspiring quote.

"Whatever you write about me, please, don't say, Marco was born a boy and now he's a girl," she says in the story's lead sentence. "I was always a girl, it just took some time to share it with the world".

Facebook: sydneymorningherald

The headline on the story?

The headline on the story?

Facebook: sydneymorningherald

People were quick to note that the headline choice seemed glaringly wrong.

People were quick to note that the headline choice seemed glaringly wrong.

Facebook: sydneymorningherald

Like, it was RIGHT underneath that inspiring quote.

Like, it was RIGHT underneath that inspiring quote.

Facebook: sydneymorningherald


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SOURCE: BuzzFeed