For the second straight year, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets from the NBA playoffs. The Rockets have to go back to the drawing board this summer, as they've also been eliminated by the Warriors four of the past five seasons. So what comes next? During his post-game interview, Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said he wants to keep the team's core group together. "We have to gather ourselves this summer, get the core group and bust it next year," he told reporters. D'Antoni mentioned that the team's core is still young, but an Oct. 28 NBA roster survey found that the Rockets lead the league with an average age of 28.6 years old. Mike D'Antoni: Our core is still young, & Daryl (Morey) will do a great job putting in other pieces…There's no time limit right now. It's not like we can't do it next year. Yeah, we can. But hopefully, we'll learn from this & do a little bit better job. pic.twitter.com/lJL12xUORB - Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 11, 2019 Houston is getting older: Chris Paul is 34 and James Harden is 30. What is even more concerning is that without a fully healthy Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, the Rockets still couldn't pull off the Game 6 win at home.Harden, Paul, Clint Capela, P.J. Tucker, and Eric Gordon will likely remain for at least another run. The second-unit will certainly look different, as Iman Shumpert, Gerald Green, Austin Rivers, and Kenneth Faried all become free agents in July. MORE: Most bizarre and incredible catches by fishermen in past decade NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Riley Ridley was one of the best value picks from the 2019 NFL draft Kyrie Irving 'has had discussions' about playing for the Lakers Richard Sherman: 'The secondary wasn't the issue last year' Related slideshow: Best of 2019 NBA playoffs (Provided by imagn)


The Tennessee Titans aren't done making moves at the wide receiver position this offseason. Thursday morning, the team announced it had agreed to terms with former Arizona Cardinals wideout Jalen Tolliver. Tolliver originally joined the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent the majority of his rookie season on Arizona's practice squad, and then was promoted to the team's 53-man roster for the last four games of the year. He saw action in three games, recording three receptions for 37 yards. With the move, the Titans' receiving corps is now composed of Adam Humphries, Corey Davis, Tajae Sharpe, Taywan Taylor, A.J. Brown, Darius Jennings, Cameron Batson, Kalif Raymond, Isaac Zico and Anthony Ratliff-Williams in addition to Tolliver at the position. MORE: Zion Williamson still has options if he doesn't want to play for the Pelicans Report: Browns rookie RB LJ Scott decides to quit NFL after just 2 days NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Cowboys News: Prescott's circle of trust questioned, Kris Richard RKGs Roundup: Britney Spears Manager Clarifies Comments, Daryl Johnston XFL Job, Rick and Morty Season 4 Details


CROMWELL   Ray Allen, UConn's only men's basketball player alum enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, is not happy with his alma mater. Allen isn't happy with the way the school has dealt with Kevin Ollie's firing, and the subsequent legal battles that have ensued over the more than $10 million left on the former coach's contract. He isn't happy about how he was treated during a recent legal deposition involving Ollie and the university. And he's not happy with the school's current leadership. "This thing has gone on far too long," Allen said on the practice tee at TPC River Highlands on Wednesday, shortly before his round in the Traveler's Championship pro-am. "Just pay the man his money. Come to some type of agreement that's a compromise. Both sides won't like it, but step up. The university needs to step up to say, 'This is our guy. He's been (there) for us, he's put four great years in for us, he's taken our program to a place where it didn't exist before he got here. And he's won a championship as an assistant and a head coach, and we have him hanging on the side like he's hanging?' Because they want to dig their heels in? It's disappointing, and everybody in the state knows it." Allen is one of dozens of people to be deposed by lawyers from both sides to talk about their potential involvement in NCAA infractions Ollie allegedly committed during his six-year tenure as UConn's head coach. Among those infractions was a FaceTime chat between Allen and potential recruit Hamidou Diallo a few winters ago. Allen wasn't comfortable with how he was treated by UConn's attorneys during the process. "I was badgered, as a witness, to try to create some type of slander or negativity against my name or how I've dealt with the university," he said. "I've done nothing but help grow the university, being an ambassador for the university. For them to treat me as if I was some type of hostile witness, I'm beside myself over it." According to sources, UConn may have tried to subpoena Allen's phone records, among other things. Ollie and his lawyers have accused UConn of racial discrimination , claiming Ollie was treated differently than white coaches, including Jim Calhoun, who was suspended for recruiting violations nearly 10 years ago. Ollie and Stephanie Garrett, the mother of former UConn grad transfer Shonn Miller, have also sued former associate head coach Glen Miller for slander "I don't like suing a wife ... that's disappointing," Calhoun said on Wednesday, shortly before his pro-am round. "Beyond that, it's never gonna be perfect. I think overall, we're all gonna have (complaints) and moans. But somewhere along the line, it's UConn, I'll always love the place and love the guys that helped me an awful lot." Allen, whose number No. 34 was retired by UConn in March , said he could understand the school firing Ollie if he had been funneling thousands of dollars to recruits. "But that's not the case," he noted. "You want to nitpick about how he ran his program, whether he ran afoul of violations or not, they're tertiary violations. So, to continue to talk about it like he was this bad guy and slandering him, we're only slandering ourselves." Allen says he hears it all the time, living in Florida over the winter, even on a visit to China: "'Why are they doing Kevin this way? What's happening with Kevin? Why don't they just pay him his money?' I don't know what they see in Storrs, but I get this everywhere ... When I'm (at UConn), people say, 'I love Kevin, it's a shame what they're doing to him.' Well, speak up. These people around the university that sit on boards, that see it, speak up. Something has to be done, because there's a dark fog hanging over our university. It's tarnished who we are, and where we hope to go in our future." Allen believes Ollie would welcome a negotiated settlement. "Kevin's never said, 'Give me my entire contract.' It's a negotiation. They need to meet somewhere in the middle, and he knows that. He's like, 'Listen, I want to make sure this thing is fair going forward, but don't treat me as if I've done something egregious to the university.' His whole mission was to help his team win a championship, and he's done that twice. And yet, you still hold him like he's some kid that had nothing to do with the program." Calhoun also hopes the two sides can still come to a settlement. "I know one thing for sure: No one's won in this situation, including a guy like Ray, who I love," the Hall of Fame coach said. "It's hurting everybody. There's no winner in this. If Kevin gets a few more bucks, big deal. If the university wins, big deal. No one's winning, and that's what I don't like. The place is too special to me, and to an awful lot of us. That's the kind of thing we just can't allow to happen. How do we stop it? I have nothing to do with it." Allen said he has yet to speak with incoming UConn president Thomas C. Katsouleas, who is set to replace current president Susan Herbst on Aug. 1. But he would like to. "I'll be very interested in sitting down and talking with him, because right now, we have no leadership," Allen said. "Because good leadership wouldn't allow this to go on." david.borges@hearstmediact.com


The Somerset County Sheriff's Department said game wardens are looking for a teen who walked away from his family's camp Monday night. Deputies said in a Facebook post that Cameron LaMontagne, 15, left the camp on Sibley Pond in Canaan at about 6:30 p.m. Cameron was last seen walking toward Route 23 on the Halls Bridge Road in Canaan. Deputies said Cameron has no cellphone and has not been seen since. Cameron was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue athletic shorts and black sandals. Anyone who has information on Cameron is asked to contact the Maine Warden Service at 207-695-3756, Maine State Police at 1-800-432-7381, or the Somerset County Sheriff's Office at 207-474-6386. READ MORE: Wardens looking for teen who walked away from Maine camp CHECK OUT WMTW: Stay informed with the latest Portland news and weather from the team at WMTW. Browse the newest Portland, Maine, news stories and stay in the know.


Video by Fox Sports NFL team owners have pushed for an 18-game regular-season schedule for years. NFL players have resisted the idea for fears of the added physical toll that would incur. Is it possible in the league's the next labor agreement that both sides can find common ground on this issue? One wild idea that's resurfacing   as reported by the Wall Street Journal   is for the owners to get their 18-game schedule, which would raise revenue immensely, but for the players to be limited to 16 of those games. The owners' proposal during early negotiations is one that radically would reshape roster and game strategy. Here's a starting point to consider how radical the idea is: Every team would need its backup quarterback(s) to start a minimum of two games each season. Could something this wild happen? The current CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) is set to expire following the 2020 NFL season, in March of 2021. A decade ago, labor negotiations were tense and drawn out. An owner lockout lasted well into the summer and wreaked havoc on the timing and planning of the 2011 NFL season, even though it was salvaged with a new agreement that July. That time around, the owners initially made a strong push for an 18-game schedule, and you could understand their justification. According to WSJ, adding two games to each team's slate could result in an additional $2.5 billion in revenue. Extrapolate that, and it could lead to an estimated $15 million added to the salary cap for each team the first year. Spread out over 32 teams, the additional revenue could lead to approximately half a billion dollars going to roughly 2,000 players each year. But you also can understand how the players balked then at the idea of putting their bodies through an additional 120 minutes of real football each year. Even the promise of additional revenue wasn't enough to convince them, and the issue died on the vine last time around. It was clear that health considerations were a big part of the NFLPA's strategy during the previous negotiations, as one of the union's biggest concessions gained in the current CBA was gaining more free time for players during the offseason. What are the potential hurdles? The 18/16 proposal would solve the wear-and-tear issue   but potentially raise a whole host of new concerns and questions. Such as: Are there enough quality quarterbacks in the NFL to keep the product from being watered down? Rosters likely would have to expand as well, and there might be an even greater need for a developmental league to prep players   especially QBs   for action. Would, say, Kansas City Chiefs fans be on board with paying full price for a game in which Patrick Mahomes doesn't start? Are there enough quality offensive linemen to go around? What about kickers, punters, long snappers and holders   would every team need to roster two of each? Could players be placed on some sort of exemption list on weeks when they're not playing to preserve roster spots? Would highly competitive players be OK with sitting and watching for more than 10 percent of the regular season? The NFL has warmed on its stance toward gambling on its sport, but this type of lineup tinkering would have a massive effect on the sportsbooks. Might a team in last place opt to sit all of its key contributors for the final two games of a season and effectively raise questions about tanking and competitiveness? And so on and so forth ... The NFL typically lags way behind other major sports in terms of innovative ideas, and this proposal certainly belies that   at least hypothetically. But it also creates a wildly different NFL in which teams would have to rewire their thinking completely on how to construct a team and use their players with considerable restrictions. "No players are banging down my door asking me to think about this," NFLPA president Eric Winston said. Right now, we file this into the too-fantastical-too-accept category, although it certainly can't be ruled out if the league provides a financial gain for the players that's too alluring to overlook. And it's at least a sign that both sides appear willing to think a bit off the grid in trying to prevent another major work stoppage before it happens. More from Yahoo Sports: OBJ challenges top QBs with jaw-dropping throw Strip club event at Trump golf club canceled 'Robot umpires' debut in baseball league Chargers star wants new deal, makes sudden threat Related slideshow: Ranking top 20 NFL draft classes (provided by imagn)


Understanding the real deal about food allergies can keep you and your family healthy and safe. Understanding the real deal about food allergies can keep you and your family healthy and safe. Click through the slide show above to learn more. A widespread problem Nearly one in 10 Americans has an allergy to one or more foods 32 million people. Peanuts, milk, and shellfish are among the most common trigger foods, and a reaction can range from mild (an itchy mouth after you eat the food) to severe (throat closing, difficulty breathing called anaphylaxis); in rare cases, a food allergy can be fatal if the patient doesn't get treatment quickly enough. And food allergies are just one of the 7 allergies that are on the rise . What is a food allergy? Basically, it's when your body's immune system overreacts to a food protein, says Kira Geraci-Ciardullo, MD, an allergy and asthma specialist with White Plains Hospital Medical & Wellness in Armonk, New York. The body's immune system is designed to attack invaders, such as bacteria and viruses; sometimes it mistakenly attacks something harmless such as a protein in food. Initially, the reaction could be mild a rash, an itchy mouth but it can get worse the more you have of the food. Your body can release a flood of immune-fighting substances called IgE antibodies (or immunoglobulin E) to fight against the food allergen, which in turn trigger hives, a dangerous drop in blood pressure, and tightening of your airways. Mysteries about food allergies Not everyone who has an IgE reaction to food will develop a serious food allergy, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). Some people can have a mild reaction after exposure to a food, and then a violent response the next time. Experts aren't sure why there is such variation. There can be a genetic component: If a parent is allergic to a food, the child is more prone to also being allergic to it, says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. People with other types of allergic reactions such as eczema, asthma, or hay fever are also more prone to food allergies, reports to FARE. Most common offenders People can be allergic to more than 170 foods, but eight are responsible for the majority of allergies in the United States: milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. 'If you look at emergency room records of anaphylaxis, the most common cause is food allergies,' says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. 'And of those anaphylactic reactions caused by food allergies, the most common foods are peanuts or tree nuts in children and fish or shellfish in adults.' Here are more common foods that cause allergies. Diagnosing food allergies Allergists use two main methods to diagnose food allergies: a skin-prick test (in which the skin is punctured with water-based extracts of different allergens to see if the patient responds typically in the form of a small hive), and a blood test to measure the IgE antibody. The IgE test is measured on a scale of 1 to 100. 'Generally, the higher the number, the more nervous we are about your allergy,' says Dr. Geruci-Ciardullo. Peanuts One of the most common and confusing allergies is a peanut allergy. It's on the rise among children and can cause an anaphylactic reaction in tiny doses even through skin or airborne contact, according to FARE. While a peanut allergy tends to be lifelong, one in five children does outgrow it. Early exposure or not? Allergists used to recommend that parents keep peanuts away from children for the kids' first three years of life. That thinking has changed thanks to a British study done on Israeli children these infants typically get peanut lollipops when they're 4 to 5 months old as part of cultural practice. The children in the study who were given peanuts early never had problems, while children who got their first peanut exposure later were more likely to develop an allergy. Experts now recommend not waiting: 'Introduce peanut whenever you're comfortable introducing it,' says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. EpiPen or not? Some people who are allergic to peanuts never have an anaphylactic reaction. Yet doctors still prescribe them an EpiPen an injectable dose of epinephrine and the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. Without the shot, someone who goes into anaphylactic shock could die. But does everyone with a peanut allergy need it? 'We always assume the worst could happen,' says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. 'We don't know the circumstances in which eating a peanut will cause hives and vomiting vs. death. We don't take the chance.' Just because you have a mild reaction once doesn't mean it won't be worse the next time. Tree nuts If you're allergic to peanuts, you have a 25 to 40 percent greater risk of being allergic to tree nuts (such as walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds). And this allergy can lead to an anaphylactic reaction. Fewer than 10 percent of people with this allergy outgrow it. Other symptoms include abdominal pain, cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty swallowing, and itching of the mouth, throat, eyes, or skin. Your reaction may not be to the nuts, however: Check out 20 bizarre things people can be allergic to . Oral allergy syndrome Sometimes people who have a well-established allergy to pollen develop something called oral allergy syndrome a reaction to certain fruits and nuts that have proteins in them that cross-react with the proteins in pollen, says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. The reaction only occurs with raw fruits and nuts. 'Once you cook the fruit or roast or bake the nuts, you won't have a reaction,' she says. To determine whether someone has this syndrome versus a true food allergy, doctors can do allergen component testing (ACT). The test gives more specific results than a skin-prick challenge and can help you and your doctor develop a more comprehensive allergy plan. 'Component testing is the wave of the future,' says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. Here's some more useful information about oral allergy syndrome you didn't know about. Milk, egg, and wheat These allergies are common in childhood but people generally outgrow them. 'It's unusual to have a child who, at age 5, retains an allergy to egg, wheat, or milk,' says Dr. Geraci-Ciardullo. 'There's a few but not many.' You shouldn't assume children have outgrown these allergies if they reach age 5, however. 'They need to be retested.' Fish and shellfish People tend to develop these allergies in adulthood and the reaction can be anaphylactic, according to FARE. The fish likely to trigger an allergy include tuna, halibut, and salmon; the shellfish include shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, clams, snails, and squid. Some people are allergic to one or the other, and some are allergic to both. Fish is also a common ingredient in things you may not suspect, such as Worcestershire sauce and Caesar salad. Experts recommend strict avoidance if you have either or both of these allergies. Sesame 'Allergies to sesame are becoming more of an issue,' says Dr. Geruci-Ciardullo. Some reports have suggested that this allergy has increased worldwide over the last two decades, according to FARE, although researchers aren't sure yet why that's the case. Offenders can include sesame seed, sesame oil, sesame paste, sesame flour, and tahini. These ingredients are commonly used in Asian, Turkish, and other ethnic cuisines. You can protect yourself by learning what allergists do to control their own allergies . Preservatives Many people exhibit sensitivity to dyes and other chemicals found in foods. But there is no skin or blood test to confirm this type of allergy. 'These allergens tend to be not proteins but small, inorganic chemicals,' says Dr. Geruci-Ciardullo. 'It's a chemical reaction rather than an immunologic reaction.' And therefore, more difficult to diagnose. 'There's a lot of detective work,' she says. Staying safe when you have food allergies The only treatment for a food allergy is avoidance. 'If you have a food allergy, avoid that food,' says Dr. Geruci-Ciardullo. She may prescribe an antihistamine (such as Benadryl) and an EpiPen to certain patients, to be used in case of a mild or severe reaction. These 13 dangerous myths about food allergies provide more crucial information that you should know.


The Los Angeles Rams aren't exactly flush with cap space, having just about $6.1 million left to spend this year. That's before the addition of Bryce Hager and the signing of their 2019 draft class, so money isn't something the Rams have much of. However, there are still impact players available on the free agent market, ones who could fit nicely in Los Angeles. Shane Ray, for instance, would bolster the Rams' pass-rushing unit and has history with Wade Phillips, his former defensive coordinator in Denver. Assuming Ray doesn't get more than the $4 million Shaq Barrett got from Tampa Bay, the Rams could presumably afford to sign him to a one-year deal. Pro Football Focus sees him as a good fit for the Rams , saying he'd be a steal if he can recapture his form from 2016. If he's able to regain his 2016 form, he'd be a steal as a late free-agent add for an edge-rushing needy team like the Rams. With the Rams lacking depth along the defensive line rotation, Ray could be an immediate pass-rushing option with the ability to earn significant playing time if he's able to produce a season similar to his 2016 breakout. The Rams do have Dante Fowler Jr. and Clay Matthews penciled in as their starters, but Fowler doesn't have great production in his career and Matthews will likely play inside linebacker, too. Samson Ebukam was inconsistent at best last season, while Ogbonnia Okoronkwo remains a relative unknown on defense. Ray is hardly a savior and has only played one full 16-game season, but for a short-term deal, he'd be a worthwhile addition to the defense. At the very least, he could be a pass-rush specialist on third down, which the Rams could've used last season. MORE: Cubs Fan Could Face Lifetime Ban for Making This Hand Sign Behind Doug Glanville Most bizarre and incredible catches by fishermen in past decade Charles Barkley to Kyrie Irving: 'Now you're your own man, and you're going on vacation Thursday morning' Second-year jumps from Josh Jackson, Oren Burks to play pivotal role in Packers' defensive improvement Free agent DE Ezekiel Ansah named a potential fit for Oakland Raiders


John Cena is 38 years old and just benched 473 pounds. That's insane. Then he took a fun shot at NFL rookies who were in the combine last winter.


Syngenta AG, a pesticide and seed company, will lay off 135 full-time employees and another 160 contractors in Houston this year as the company closes its Greens Bayou facility near the Port of Houston. The manufacturing plant produces chlorothalonil, a pesticide that was recently banned in Europe by a European Union decision in March. The widely used pesticide was found by the European Food Safety Authority to be linked to declining bee populations, have harmful impacts to rivers and waterways, be a high risk to fish and amphibians, and potentially be harmful to human health. Beginning this week, production will wind down at the facility as the company reduces inventory. Production will cease in early 2020. In a statement, the company attributed closure of the facility to the decision by the EU and the upgrades necessary at the facility. "The closure decision is based on significant changes in the business including a decrease in future sales volume due to a March 2019 European Union regulatory decision," Paul Minehart, a Syngenta spokesperson, wrote in a statement. "Costly modernization improvements needed at the Greens Bayou site for continued operation." A subsidiary of Syngenta, GB Biosciences, in 2004 agreed to a $100 million settlement with the Port of Houston over massive contamination of the port from the operations of the pesticide manufacturing plant, at 2239 Haden. Syngenta, based in Switzerland, and its legacy companies have owned the Houston facility since the 1990s. Following the closure of the facility, the company will consider disposition options for the site. Syngenta has two other pesticide production facilities in the U.S. that will remain in operation. All the employees at the facility will be affected. The positions will be eliminated through the remainder of the year, beginning in August. Employees will receive severance and job placement assistance. "Syngenta is committed to treating its affected employees fairly while ensuring a reliable product supply for its customers," Minehart wrote.


Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles returned to organized team activities Thursday after his wife broke the unfortunate news that the couple had a miscarriage of their second child . Nick Foles is back with the #Jaguars today to resume OTA work with his teammates. Foles has been away for a few days to be with his wife, Tori, and family following her miscarriage. - Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 30, 2019 Foles was excused from Day 4 of OTAs for what the team classified as a personal reason at first as coach Doug Marrone hinted that his absence was family related. It's not clear if the veteran will participate in Day 5's OTA session, but with him being the competitor he is, one would think it would be hard to keep the veteran off the field Thursday. Foles signed with the Jags this March as the team's biggest signing of the free-agent period as his four-year $88 million contract with $50 million in guarantees totaled out to be the highest free-agent contract in team history. Now, after leading the Philadelphia Eagles in two postseason runs, he'll look to get the Jags back in the playoffs after the had a disappointing 2018 season after nearly going to the Super Bowl in 2017. Alongside the rest of the NFL community, we'll continue to send our thoughts and prayers to Nick, his wife Tori and the Foles family, who Jacksonville had already embraced as one of their own upon his signing. MORE: Five potential Chris Paul trade destinations This 'Jeopardy' contestant failing to beat James Holzhauer to buzzer sums up his epic run Roundup: NFL Owners Want 18-Game Season Again, Alex Trebek Cancer Near Remission, Israel Redoing Election Geronimo Allison looks like favorite to be Packers slot WR Giants already using Ryan Connelly tape to teach proper technique


An American flag featuring a 13-star circle was at the epicenter of controversy after Nike decided to stop the release of a sneaker featuring the symbol. The special-edition Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July was set to hit retail stores in honor of the upcoming holiday. However, in a surprise move, the sneaker giant opted to pull the shoe after being advised of its offensiveness by brand ambassador and former NFL star Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick reportedly told Nike he and others found the symbol offensive due to its connection to the United States' slavery era, according to The Wall Street Journal , who first reported the story Tuesday. In more recent times, the flag has been used as a symbol by white supremacist and nationalist groups. The flag is believed to be a design by a woman named Betsy Ross around the height of the American Revolution in the mid-to-late 1770s, leading to its nickname, Betsy Ross Flag. However, the true history of the flag's origin is a bit murky. As historians tell it, Ross, whose cousin was a friend of George Washington, was visited by the would-be first president and commissioned to create the flag in 1776. There had been a flag design already in use, depicting the 13 colonies as 13 six-pointed stars situated in a circle, but it was allegedly Ross' five-point star design that Washington favored. While general perception has held Ross was solely responsible for designing the flag, some scholars have suggested she was just one of many seamstresses in Pennsylvania at the time that took part in the project. The story of the flag's design first became a topic of discussion several years after its creation, when Ross's grandson William J. Canby delivered a document to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1870 claiming his grandmother was responsible for the flag design, according to the 2008 Smithsonian history, The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon . Ross, the daughter of a Quaker carpenter, ran an upholstery shop with her husband in a home they rented in Philadelphia. The couple was known for making cartridges and flags for the Continental Army, and it was rumored Ross even designed bed hangings for Washington in 1774, according to Pennsylvania's historical organization, Historic Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, there are no official government records of the flag's creation until June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress approved the flag "shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, while on a blue field, representing a new constellation," according to the Library of Congress . Ross' name isn't mentioned in the document, although this may simply be attributable to the biases of the era. While the flag initially featured 13 stars to represent the 13 colonies, the flag has been updated 27 times over the years to include new states added into the union. The flag presently on display across America was introduced after Hawaii became the 50th state in August 1959. For some, the Betsy Ross flag is just a reminder of the country's history. Still, its origin is steeped in a time period where America was a slavery-driven and openly racist country. The values of that era persist within American culture, with white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan using the Betsy Ross Flag in its propaganda in more recent times. The group passed out mini Betsy Ross Flags in a New York town in 2018 in addition to the typically used Confederate Flag and candy, according to The New York Times . It also used images of the flag in a letter sent to a campus newspaper in Washington in 2017. The flag also caused a stir in Michigan in 2016 after a gaggle of young white men waved the Betsy Ross Flag during a high school football game. The incident led a school district superintendent to issue an apology after some families pointed out their discomfort with the flag and the NCAAP noted the flag's adoption by extremist groups. Some KKK groups in Georgia were found to have required members use the Betsy Ross Flag during ritualistic meetings if not a Confederate Flag, an Albany Herald investigation discovered in 2013. Related Articles Colin Kaepernick Convinces Nike to Pull Betsy Ross Flag Sneaker and Right-Wing Twitter Loses It Ted Cruz Blasts Nike Decision to Pull 'Betsy Ross Sneakers': Company Only Wants to Serve 'People Who Hate the American Flag' What Is Juneteenth? History and Flag to Commemorate the Emancipation of Slaves Sign up to our newsletter and get Newsweek stories delivered to your e-mail


Nairobi, Kenya - A sea of umbrellas rose up the jagged hillside, sheltering thousands of Kenyans who had braved torrential rain to hear Pope Francis address the nation on the first stop of his Africa tour. Among his first words were a counsel not to "hurt or demean women" or to "threaten the life of the innocent unborn". Together, they struck at the heart of what some Kenyan women's rights activists believe to be a contradiction with sometimes deadly consequences in this country where more than 20 percent of the population is Catholic and the leading cause of maternal deaths is unsafe abortion, according to the Kenyan Ministry of Health . "We like to call ourselves a Christian country and that ends up meaning we don't want to respect people's voices. We want to mix religion with obstetrics and gynaecology," said Dr Carol Odulla, a reproductive health specialist in Kenya. Meanwhile, she continued, "we're watching women die, watching mothers die, watching daughters die". In 2012, according to the Kenyan Ministry of Health report, 157,762 Kenyan women received care for complications resulting from induced and spontaneous abortions, 37 percent of them from severe complications such as sepsis, shock, or organ failure. Pope Francis has been lauded for his liberal views on climate change and poverty. In Kenya, he turned down a lavish state dinner to dine in Kangemi, one of Nairobi's slums. But he has stood by the Catholic Church's vehement opposition to abortion, birth control, and condoms. Abortion In 2010, Kenya promulgated a new constitution to great fanfare and great controversy. It liberalised Kenya's near complete ban on abortion, stating that abortion was legal when "in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger, or if permitted by any other written law". It was considered a huge triumph for women's rights activists in Kenya. "This is trying to save the lives of women and girls because we came to discover that a lot of women and girls used to go to quacks to perform abortions," said Geoffrey Maina, who works to sensitise religious leaders to reproductive rights in Kenya. Many of them disagree with his stance. "They say people will take advantage of it, people will misbehave and then get pregnant because they can just get an abortion legally," said Maina. That resistance has made implementation difficult. Kenya's director of medical services withdrew the government's guidelines for preventing maternal deaths from unsafe abortion and banned safe abortion training for healthcare professionals. Many believe that was partially as a result of influence from powerful Kenyan churches. "The fact of the matter is this: we have a constitution that has set out grounds for when abortion can be accessed by women but we have seen, more and more, the Church trying to limit those grounds," said Evelyne Opondo, the regional director for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Rights. This leaves the medical community in a legal limbo: doctors aren't receiving training on abortion care and are unsure of whether they will be prosecuted for providing it. "What are we supposed to do? Not teach health providers how to a treat a woman who is losing a pregnancy, who is losing her life?" said Odulla. "What you're doing is mopping the floors while the tap is still running." RELATED: Pope Francis says priests can now forgive abortion Contraception While abortion is the most contentious of these issues, the Catholic Church's opposition to birth control and condoms is no less salient. Kenya has the fourth-largest HIV epidemic in the world. More than 70 percent of women seeking post-abortion care in Kenya were not using contraception and 43 percent of births in Kenya were reported as unwanted or mistimed. Kenya has experienced considerable success in lowering birth rates (declining from 8.1 children per woman in the late 1970s to 4.7 in the late 1990s) because of an increased acceptance of contraception. But that number has stagnated since then, with birth rates sticking stubbornly at 4.6. "Imagine in the villages, someone who can't even put food on the table and they have more than 10 children," said Norah Otondo, a farmer in western Kenya. Otondo is religious but feels that the pope is out of touch with the realities of poor Kenyans. She believes that condoms and birth control should be reserved for after marriage, but finds a complete ban hard to accept. "If people can control the number of children they can make people's lives better. If they can have only three who they can feed and educate that would eliminate poverty and illiteracy, otherwise we're continuing the cycle of poverty," she said. Earlier in the year, Pope Francis said "God gives you methods to be responsible," referring to church-sanctioned methods of birth control such as the rhythm method. "Some think that - excuse the word - that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No.'" RELATED: Life at any price Undermining rights In June, The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a case against the attorney general, the Ministry of Health and the director of medical services for undermining women's constitutional rights and contributing to maternal mortality by denying women access to safe, legal abortion. "I've seen a woman die right in front of my eyes because of sepsis. She was so quiet and she couldn't talk to anybody and she was rotting inside," said Odulla. Odulla doesn't really think religion has anything to do with it. "I really believe in this pope, I am a Catholic," she said as she finished watching him land in Kenya on television. "[But] when you try to bring in your personal values and don't link them to the bigger picture it creates problems."


Even though the Philadelphia 76ers have kept things close with the Toronto Raptors in their second-round series, it seems as though many fans have started to turn on Ben Simmons . Simmons has been particularly awful for the 76ers in the halfcourt offense. The fact that Simmons can't shoot   or won't   has irked many fans in Philadelphia and around the league. Of course, Simmons is aware of that criticism and he apparently has a response to it. In an interview with TNT before Thursday night's game against the Raptors, Simmons said that he felt that trying to guard Kawhi Leonard was taking away some of his focus and ability on offense. Via TNT: "I do think he has his hands full with Kawhi Leonard."   @ROSGO21 joins #Gametime live from Philly to discuss Ben Simmons ahead of Game 6 in the #NBAPlayoffs . pic.twitter.com/ckzKIxTTOD   NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2019 "Sometimes I get so focused on defending Kawhi and keeping him in front that I sometimes slow down on offense and I lose a little bit of focus or intensity there." I think it would be easy to criticize this comment from Simmons as trying to dodge or shift blame. Instead, the way I choose to look at it is as a pretty open and honest explanation of what it's like to try and guard a player who seems to be peaking in the playoffs. Simmons is a second-year player after all, and he's just 22 years old. The task of trying to guard Leonard would naturally take away the focus of just about any NBA player when it comes to the rest of their game. I also think it's reasonable for fans to want Simmons to be able to lock in and be the star they want. That will come with time, and if Simmons remains with the 76ers past this season, no doubt he will need to work on his ability to flip the switch on both ends of the floor no matter the opponent.


Environmental protesters spilled fake blood Sunday on the steps of the Trocadero, a Paris tourist landmark, in a stunt to highlight the accelerated loss of biodiversity on Earth, AFP journalists reported. As sightseers and police looked on, members of the Extinction Rebellion campaign group emptied canisters containing around 300 litres of red liquid on the famous esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower. Brandishing banners with the slogan: "Stop the sixth mass extinction", the protesters then observed a few minutes' silence before cleaning the steps. Also on Sunday, six Extinction Rebellion activists were detained in the south-west city of Bordeaux for putting up a banner overnight on the scaffolding of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a popular tourist site. In a landmark report last week, the United Nations warned that a million of Earth's estimated eight million species are at risk of extinction. The campaign group was set up in Britain last year by academics and has become one of the world's fastest-growing environmental movements. It advocates the use of non-violent acts of civil disobedience to force governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt biodiversity loss.


Kyle Busch battled back to finish 10th at Dover on Monday afternoon, marking his 11th consecutive top-10 finish through 11 races to start the 2019 season. Kyle Busch battled back to finish 10th at Dover on Monday afternoon, marking his 11th consecutive top-10 finish through 11 races to start the 2019 season. That ties the best start in NASCAR history, and he's the first to hit double-digits in nearly 30 years. Take a look at the top-five drivers on the list of most top 10s to start a season. 1955: Lee Petty, 10 Wins during streak: Three Streak ended at: Charlotte Finish at Charlotte: 15th 1972: James Hylton, 10 Wins during streak: Zero Streak ended at: Talladega Finish at Talladega: 33rd 1974: Cale Yarborough, 10 Wins during streak: Four Streak ended at: Nashville Finish at Nashville: 14th 1990: Morgan Shepherd, 11 Wins during streak: Zero Streak ended at: Sonoma Finish at Sonoma: 29th 2019: Kyle Busch, 11 Wins during streak: Three Streak ended at: TBD Finish at Kansas: TBD


At what point does a performance bargain cease to be a bargain? It has been two years since the FK8 Honda Civic Type R came to America. Priced at $35,700, this Type R was the first time Americans could acquire the small, affordable, front-wheel-drive JDM legend. Research the Honda Civic on MSN Autos | Find a Honda Civic near you The problem is finding a Type R on sale today at or below MSRP. The new Type R inventory is still selling for well above sticker price. Since the cars went on sale in the U.S. in June 2017, they have not stopped selling with a markup. There appears to be no sign this trend is stopping any time soon. The Type R has won praise around the world for its competency on road and track. It has built a reputation for setting the fastest front-wheel lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, at 7:43. Although lap times are great for bragging rights, the Type R has also won praise for its communicative driving experience and daily practicality. That was perhaps best displayed in impressive fourth-place finish the 2018 MotorTrend Best Driver's Car competition against the likes of Lamborghini , McLaren , Porsche , and Aston Martin . With such a wide breadth of capability, the 2019 Civic Type R should be a performance bargain. But Honda dealerships (who, to be fair, have seen new car profit margins dwindle to nearly zero in recent years) have used demand for the Civic Type R to pad their profits with fake markups on the car. Typically dealerships will entice customers with sales of their new inventory below MSRP. Their profit margin rests somewhere between the invoice price (the price the dealership bought the car from the manufacturer) and the final sale price. It's easier to negotiate on a price with large inventories and multiple dealerships competing for customers. If a dealership sells a car at MSRP, its profit margin is somewhere between 8 and 15 percent, depending on the brand and the car. But limited edition performance cars are a different animal. Also Read: Hot Hatch Comparo: Civic v Focus v Golf v WRX Type R: FWD Performance Star Driving a race-prepped Civic Type R The average markup of Type Rs on sale today is just over $4,000. At the time of writing this article, there were 405 Civic Type R's listed on sale according to the major online car listing sites (Autotrader, Cars.com). The markups ranged from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000 (50 cars did not have a listed price, so the average was calculated from the remaining 355 that were on sale). This average does not tell the full story. A popular thread on CivicX, one of the most popular online forums surrounding the Type R, reveals some interesting truths into the commonality of dealers marking up their cars. The "Civic Type-R Over Sticker Dealer Naughty List" thread contains more than 500 pages with nearly 7,500 posts of people reporting marked-up cars around the country. Over the past several months, dozens of cars have been reported on this thread. The average markup over MSRP: $6,178. Nineteen cars were marked up over $10,000 above MSRP and the highest markup belonged to a car in Daytona Beach, Florida, for $17,500 over sticker. This pricing was not uncommon when the car first went on sale in June 2017, but it is unusual for this level of markup to continue after two years. As described by numerous upset customers, Honda dealerships have been reported to use a bait and switch tactic to lure potential Type R buyers into their showrooms only to reveal a higher price than advertised. One forum member stated he saw an online advertisement in Houston, Texas, for $34,000, but upon arriving at the dealership was told the car was actually selling for $43,000. Another forum member from South Carolina reported a dozen emails with a dealership before they revealed the actual price on the car in March. Yet another member in New Jersey stated that a car listed at $34,000 on the dealership's website was revealed to have a price of $42,000 after contacting the dealership directly. Can't American Honda do anything about this? Can't they make the dealers stop the price gouging? Technically, no. Dealers are independent businesses, and strong franchise laws allow each to set its own prices. Sure, Honda could pull some regressive tactics like cutting future Type R allocations or sending a flotilla of black cars in July but usually the factory doesn't want to get into a war with its dealers. When asked for comment, American Honda spokesman Sage Marie responded: "We have over 1,000 dealers in this country, and there are many who see Type R as an opportunity to cultivate long-term relationships with young, enthusiastic customers. It is possible to find such dealers that will sell cars at the price Honda suggests, and [Honda regrets] any frustration that pricing at some stores creates. Dealers have the right to price all their vehicles as the choose, but consider for a moment that the vast majority of new car transactions at Honda dealerships take place at a price far less than we suggest. The transactions that fall on the other side of the supply/demand curve are extremely rare in that context." Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, California, is located in the shadow of American Honda headquarters. They have a Civic Type R with a sticker price of $36,620 marked up to $42,615 including $995 for a dealer-installed security system even though the Type R comes with a standard SmartEntry security system. A message left with the dealership for comment was not returned when this article went to publish. I, the author, have experienced a similar situation. I bought a 2019 Civic Type R two months ago. I was aware some dealerships had a six-month wait list for the car when it first came out two years ago. I assumed prices had died down and were probably around $36,000 by now. I was very wrong. I had found a new 2019 Type R on sale at a dealership in Dallas, Texas. The car was advertised at MSRP, which was a relief after two dealerships in El Paso would either not reveal a price to me or were trying to sell the car for $4,000 over sticker. After nearly a week of calls and emails, they finally revealed that the Type R in their inventory was actually on sale for $52,580. The salesman, however, was kind enough to reduce that price to $46,620 as a special price "just for you," still $6,000 over sticker, not to mention charging $3,460 for a cargo tray, window tint, wheel locks, door edge guards, and a paint/fabric warranty. "Thank you, but no thank you, dude," was my response. The theory is that the Civic Type R at $36,000 is a performance bargain. The reality is most Civic Type Rs are not selling at this price. If shoppers are patient and look around, they might be able to find a dealership willing to make a deal. That's what I did. Some dealerships do not work off of commission, and as a result it is possible to buy a Type R for MSRP. That's what I did from a Honda dealership in Dover, Delaware. But once that price increases by several thousand dollars, customers need to start asking themselves as they compare it to other performance cars above the $40,000 price range: Is it still worth it? Postscript: Might we expect similar behavior from Toyota dealers when the Supra arrives? We reached out to Toyota, who responded: "We recognize that there is a lot of excitement about the return of the Supra and that customers are anxious to be among the first to own the new model. Toyota has established a Manufacturers' Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) that is, as it sounds, a retail price suggested by the manufacturer. Because our dealers are independent business owners, the final transaction price will be the result of interactions between the customer and the dealer. Our sales group has consulted with our regional offices to ask them to be aware of the transaction prices and consult with dealers as necessary." Research the Honda Civic on MSN Autos | Find a Honda Civic near you Mark Rechtin contributed to this story.


Liverpool have confirmed that they have sold the club's Melwood training ground site to Torus Development - a not-for-profit housing provider - ahead of their move to Kirkby prior to the 2020/21 season. The charitable trust has already established 1,600 homes in the area, while also managing 40,000 social homes throughout the north west. Selling the site to Torus was singled out as the best socially responsible outcome. Liverpool have agreed a deal to sell Melwood, their historic training base, to property developers Torus. Melwood will be bulldozed in 12 months' time when first team move to Kirkby. Estimate that deal is worth £10m and that money has gone to build new facility at Kirkby 🔴   Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) August 1, 2019 Speaking to the club's official website , Andy Hughes, executive vice president, operations and finance at Liverpool FC, said: "Today marks another significant milestone in this hugely important and ambitious project. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sale of the Melwood site having played such a significant role in the club's history. But the site is limited in terms of space and is unable to accommodate the club's ambitions for a new first-class combined training facility. "It's over two years since we started this journey and we'd like to thank everyone who has been involved, particularly local residents in West Derby for their feedback and patience during this tender process. "All funds from the sale of the Melwood site will be reinvested back into the first-team squad and the state-of-the-art training centre at the new Kirkby site." Melwood has been the club's training ground since the 1950s and many will see the sale as the end of an era. However, Torus will make sure to continue the legacy of the historic complex. Chris Bowen, managing director of Torus Developments, said: "Consultation with local residents is very important to us and we look forward to meeting with the community in due course. We will also be working closely with LFC to ensure the legacy of this incredibly historical site is a theme throughout." The move will be greatly beneficial for both of the parties involved. Liverpool will be able to make the most of improved facilities that will replicate the current direction of growth that the club is seeing. Moreover, the local community will see the benefits of increased affordable and sustainable housing.


The Panthers had no bigger fan than Greg "Catman" Good. Good attended every one of the team's home games from their inaugural season in 1995 to 2017, becoming something of a local celebrity for rallying the Panthers' faithful. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Good in 2004, tabbing him the Panthers' "Superfan." Good died Friday in hospice care in his hometown of Winston-Salem, The Charlotte Observer reported Saturday. Good's son, Greg Good Jr., posted the announcement of his father's death on Facebook. "The number one panthers fan in the world went on to heaven today!!" Good Jr. wrote. "Y'all I miss my daddy so much!! Those rides to Charlotte and going to the game will never be the same!!!" Former Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams was among those who responded with their condolences, with Williams calling Good "the biggest Panther fan in the world."


DETROIT (AP) Brad Miller charged the ball in left field. Nicholas Castellanos rounded third and kept on running. ''What is it, midnight or whatever?'' Miller said. ''You've got to send him. ... Luckily it was hit directly at me.'' Miller threw Castellanos out at the plate in the 14th inning, forcing Philadelphia and Detroit to play a little longer, and the Phillies finally scored in the 15th and beat the Tigers 3-2. Scott Kingery tripled to lead off the 15th and came home on a single by Rhys Hoskins in a game that lasted just short of 4 1/2 hours and didn't end until early Wednesday morning. It would have been over a little bit earlier if not for Miller's throw to the plate. Detroit had men on first and second with one out in the 14th. Brandon Dixon singled off Jose Alvarez (1-2), but Miller's throw to the plate was in time. Catcher J.T. Realmuto had to move to his right to receive the throw, but he was able to dive back and tag Castellanos. Miller had entered the game in the 12th after the Phillies pinch hit for starting left fielder Nick Williams. ''You're sitting for 12 innings. Just being ready and aware, in order to make that play, is pretty outstanding,'' Hoskins said. ''Obviously, we don't have another chance if he doesn't make that throw.'' Hoskins slapped a clean single to right off Daniel Stumpf (1-1) in the 15th to break the tie. Roman Quinn homered for Philadelphia, which is a half-game behind St. Louis for the National League's last playoff spot. The game started after a 38-minute rain delay, and both teams had trouble with grounders early on. Kingery, Philadelphia's shortstop, made an error that led to an unearned run in the first. The Tigers made two errors in the sixth, but starter Matthew Boyd escaped that jam. Quinn's two-run homer gave the Phillies the lead in the second. Castellanos tied it with an RBI double in the sixth. Aaron Nola allowed one earned run and four hits in seven innings, and Boyd allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. Then the bullpens took over and kept both offenses off the scoreboard for a while. ''We pitched good in a lot of key situations, but we finally got thrown out at the plate and they broke through,'' Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ''In games like this, everyone goes out there trying to win it with a homer when you really need to string together some singles. That's why you see these nights where no one scores for so many innings.'' Nick Pivetta pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the Phillies. Nick Ramirez pitched three for Detroit. STAYING WITH IT In addition to his early error, Kingery also struck out four times. But in this game, hitters had plenty of chances to come through, and Kingery finally did with a drive to right that was almost a home run. He settled for a triple. ''You've got to want the next at-bat,'' Hoskins said. ''Props to Scotty. That's a frustrating day for the first 14 innings. But you've just got to keep going.'' TRAINER'S ROOM Tigers: IF Josh Harrison (left hamstring) has started a running program again. Gardenhire said Harrison had to ''back off'' because he felt stiffness in his leg. UP NEXT Phillies: Vince Velasquez (2-5) takes the mound for Philadelphia on Wednesday when the Phillies and Tigers come right back to the field for an afternoon game. Velasquez lost to the Tigers on April 30. Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann (0-7) starts for Detroit. --- Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


RAMAPO - Two girls were revived after nearly drowning in a pool at a Ramapo house on Monday, officials said. The girls, ages 2 and 3, were rescued on Sydell Lane around 12:30 p.m. as temperatures topped 80 degrees, Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said. A family member pulled the children out of the in-ground pool, he said. Spring Hill EMS and Rockland Paramedics also responded. "It was pretty hectic," said Neil Dahan, chief of the Spring Hill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps. "We had family members screaming. Obviously, they were extremely worried and frantic." The initial call came in as one child who was unresponsive, he said, but the ambulance crew arrived and was surprised to find that two children needed help. The children were both out of the pool when first responders arrived, he said. One adult, who said he had recently been certified in CPR, at the home was performing compressions when first responders arrived, Dahan said. Dahan said he arrived with police, and they "just started treating the patients, taking a look at the patients, making sure they were breathing, that they had a pulse, clearing the airway, maintaining a clear airway, and providing oxygen, supplemental oxygen." The girls had pulses but were not fully breathing as emergency workers evaluated the children, he said. Medics then arrived and used their equipment to perform more detailed assessments of the girls, who were then loaded into ambulances and taken to Westchester Medical Center, Dahan said. The man at the house who performed compressions before first responders arrived might have been crucial in helping the girls regain pulses, Dahan said. "Those seconds were extremely critical for their lives," he said. Police did not immediately have an update on the children's conditions this morning, or any other information on how the children ended up in the pool. In a Facebook post, Spring Hill EMS thanked all of the emergency workers involved in the response, but added, "This should also serve as a cautionary tale for private pool owners. As the weather becomes warmer and pools around town begin to open, it's imperative that you remember pool safety. "Children are masters in bypassing barriers; always ensure the gate to the pool is locked with no holes in the fence. Practice and discuss pool safety with your children. Ensure that they, as well as yourself, know what to do in case of an emergency in the water." SLOATSBURG: Man dies in Route 17 lawnmower crash; brother injured ORANGETOWN: Donald Butterworth takes reins as police chief MOUNT IVY: Two cats die in house fire on Anderson Road Twitter: @MattSpillane This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ramapo: Girls, 2 and 3, revived after nearly drowning in pool


If the park and movie routine is getting a little tired, why not do something different with the kids this week? From Fourth of July fireworks to a scavenger hunt, these events and deals will win approval from everyone in the family. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Fabulous Phoenix 4th From the event description: Spend your Fourth of July at the 34th annual Fabulous Phoenix 4th, which includes one of the largest firework displays in the Southwest. Expect a lot of family fun, with two stages for musical acts, a variety of vendors with festival-style food, a classic car show and a Kid World full of activities, rides, inflatables and a water spray zone. When: Thursday, July 4, 6 p.m. Where: Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85012 Price: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets 4th of Zooly From the event description: A family affair for the Fourth of July. Join the Phoenix Zoo for a lakeside barbecue and other fun activities such as animal encounters, carousel rides, live music, bouncy houses and more. End the night with an amazing view of the Tempe Town Lake Fireworks Spectacular show. When: Thursday, July 4, 7 p.m. Where: Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008 Price: $35-45 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Scavenger Hunt Adventure from ZeeTours From the ZeeTours deal description: Participants of all ages can learn local history, complete various challenges, and enjoy sightseeing during a self-guided scavenger hunt. Where: 201 E. Jefferson St., Central City Price: $17 (66% discount off regular price) Click here for more details, and to score this deal Play Center Passes at Whiz Kidz Playland From the Whiz Kidz Playland deal description: Play center provides a safe and stimulating environment for children as young as six weeks, and offers art classes, open-play space and more. Where: Whiz Kidz Playland, 15425 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee Foothills Price: $6 (40% discount off regular price); additional deals are available. Click here for more details, and to score this deal This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Mui Wo is a sleepy town of 5,000 people on Lantau Island, lying on a sloping plane between the sea and mountains. It draws visitors to its many cafés and restaurants, a beach, and scenic hiking trails that wrap around the coastline with views of nearby islands. Although Lantau is Hong Kong's largest island, Mui Wo has a distinctively offbeat vibe compared to the rest of the city, with neighborhood dogs relaxing on the sidewalk and the pervasive calm typical of coastal tourist towns. It's a community that could almost be in semi-rural Hawaii, dotted with abandoned farms and tropical vegetation as well as overgrown Chinese graves and low-rise apartment buildings. This atmosphere, however, is set to change in 2025 if Hong Kong's government moves forward with one of its largest engineering projects yet. The Mui Wo cafés that once provided a sweeping view of the sea will soon have an unencumbered view of construction and then, if all goes to plan, of high-rise towers. Under the ambitious "Lantau Tomorrow" plan, Hong Kong will first build a roughly 2,500-acre island roughly the size of 1,000 football fields around the uninhabited Kau Yi Chau Island to the northeast of Lantau. This may be followed by an additional 1,700 additional acres of land reclamation around the island Hei Ling Chau, which is roughly two miles from Mui Wo and visible from its shoreline. Hong Kong's government says Lantau Tomorrow will solve a crisis: the city's lack of affordable housing and developable land. The waiting time for public housing in Hong Kong in 2018 was five years and three months , according to the South China Morning Post ; the average Hong Konger has to wait 25 years to be able to afford an apartment in the world's most expensive real-estate market. The cost of living and inequality are causes of discontent, and indirect factors behind the huge protests that have taken place in Hong Kong this summer. Reclamation around Kau Yi Chau during the first phase of Lantau Tomorrow is expected to provide between 150,000 and 260,000 housing units, 70 percent of which are earmarked for public housing, according to Hong Kong's Civil Engineering and Development Department. Most of this will likely take the form of the massive tower blocks found elsewhere in Hong Kong. The first phase of Lantau Tomorrow is expected to be built by around 2032. Assuming the whole project is completed on time (which would possibly be a first for Hong Kong), the new island will open to residents in 2043. Red-tide fears Residents and activists are concerned, however, that this solution may place too high a toll on the local and marine environment around Mui Wo and Kau Yi Chau. "The project will have reclaimed land very close to the shore of south Lantau and Mui Wo. The narrowing of the passageway to the open sea will create an almost enclosed environment, where water-current movement will be greatly reduced, and oxygen contents of the water slowly depleted," said Mui Wo resident Tom Yam, who is campaigning against the project. Yam fears that the changes in Mui Wo's bay will allow algae to take over, creating a red tide and later a dead sea around the idyllic waterfront community. The first thing to consider when building an island, says Will Glamore, a professor and principal research fellow at the University of New South Wales's Water Research Laboratory, is how it will affect the flow of water nearby. "If you're making islands, you're making the channels around the islands smaller," he said. "That means water goes faster. We've got to make sure any islands won't be obstructing any flow paths that are useful for pollutants or fish-breeding grounds or bird areas, or fish themselves." Once a possible location is found, the construction process can be broken down into two phases: building a sea wall and then backfilling it with a lot of sediment. But the sediment could get washed away by typhoons or lost in the construction process if the proper precautions are not taken. "These are big engineering projects, and they require a lot of pre-planning, so you have to figure out where to get that sediment from," said Glamore , who has worked on island-building projects in the past. "Does it come from a dredging area nearby? Is it being shipped in with sand from somewhere else? Whatever that may be , this is big-scale engineering. The challenges are not to be lightly taken." Hong Kong's Civil Engineering Department says the island can be filled with 15 million tons of its own construction debris, while Yam calculates that it will take around 200 million tons of sand to build the first island alone. The devil is in the details, according to Glamore, since small changes to the environment can have a huge impact elsewhere. Introducing a new land mass , for example, could change the way the wind blows across the water in a Lantau channel, which in turn affects how pollution and effluent move around Hong Kong. If executed poorly, the project could create the kinds of red tides that worried Mui Wo resident Tom Yam. It's the "bigger second-order, third-order impacts that you have to be concerned about," said Glamore. Making new land out of the water Hong Kong is no stranger to the land-reclamation process. It used it to build the airport and around 6 percent of its current land area. Land reclamation is popular in other parts of Asia as well, thanks to the region's relatively shallow waters and dense cities. The island-building crown goes to China, which has aggressively built up reefs and atolls in the South China Sea to expand its naval and military reach, much to the chagrin of its neighbors and the United States. Singapore has engaged in aggressive reclamation projects , expanding its territory by 25 percent with artificial land, according to government figures, while Malaysia is currently in the midst of reclaiming islands off the coast of Penang. Chee Su Yin, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies in Penang, said Malaysia's projects have had a number of unintended consequences. Sand transported from another Malaysian state has left a "trail of destruction behind" by adding sediment to the nearby seabed. Chee said the sand has had a damaging effect on local phytoplankton and marine plants by interrupting their ability to perform photosynthesis. One reason why island-building is so common in Asia is that local governments require less environmental impact assessment than in Australia, North America, or western Europe. As Hong Kong embarks on a 42-month feasibility study for Lantau Tomorrow, it has yet to conduct its full environmental assessment, but says that it will look at factors ranging from noise pollution to ecology. According to the Civil Engineering Department, Kau Yi Chau Island was chosen in part because of the "relatively low ecological sensitivity in the area." The government has not specified where it will source the sand for the project (beyond its construction debris). Most likely it will come from nearby quarrying or sand dredging   which can have a significant environmental impact on local communities.


BRADENTON, FL   Florida has been ranked the third least safe state in the United States by personal finance website WalletHub. The study examined 52 key metrics ranging from assaults per capita, unemployment and total losses from climate disasters per person. The rankings, which were released Tuesday, are timed to coincide with the June arrival of National Safety Month. "With every new headline about a mass shooting, terrorist attack, hate crime or natural disaster, many of us fear for our safety and that of our loved ones," WalletHub penned. "Just in 2018, the devastating Camp Fire killed 86 people and hurricanes Florence and Michael took the lives of dozens each. And Louisiana led the U.S. in the homicide rate, averaging 12.4 per 100,000 people . Each state is safe from some dangers but falls prey to others." Here's how Florida ranked in key categories (1=safest; 25=average ) : 26th   Murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita 33rd   Assaults per capita 44th   Loss amounts from climate disasters per capita 20th   Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers 42nd   Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of Travel 39th   Sex offenders per capita 47th   Share of uninsured population "Safety is a basic human need," WalletHub said. "We require some form of it, such as personal and financial protection, in every part of daily life. But we're likely to feel more secure in some states than in others." Minnesota, Vermont and Maine were the three safest states in the United States followed by Utah and Connecticut. Mississippi was chosen as the least safe of the 50 states followed by Louisiana and Florida. Click here to read the full study.


Every year after the Thanksgiving feasts come to an end, millions of Americans venture outside the comfort of their homes and into the elements to line up on plaza sidewalks and in the warmly lit corridors of shopping malls in hopes of seizing a great Black Friday deal. While those early bird specials are great incentives for those looking to save money, sinking temperatures and a wintry onslaught of wind, snow, ice and rain can deter customers from spending on the largest shopping days of the year, according to Tim Loftus. Loftus is a business intelligence analyst with AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions and has worked in the retail industry for several years. "If it was a very large [weather] event, that could impact sales greatly," Loftus said. "Behaviors differ based on region. It really depends on the location and the size of the event," he added, citing that 2 inches of snow in the Northeast would not impact sales as much as it would if 2 inches fell in the southern United States. The best chance for wintry weather, including the potential for accumulating snow and wind, will stretch from Colorado to Minnesota on Black Friday. The storm that will spread snow will also unleash a soaking rain from Michigan to Texas. While it will be mild and dry across much of the East, chilly and showery weather may target portions of the West. Before heading out to your favorite retailer this year, take a look at the AccuWeather MinuteCast® for a minute-by-minute forecast of precipitation type and intensity for your exact location. Weather isn't the only force impacting holiday sales either. Since the onset of the recession, shoppers haven't been spending those hard-earned dollars like they used to, which has prompted retailers to create even greater incentives to get people into their stores -- including keeping doors open on Thanksgiving Day. "That's only something we've seen for about the past five years," National Retail Federation Spokesperson Kathy Grannis Allen said. "The recession really did change retailers' approach." This year, several major retailers have changed that trend and have announced that they will stay closed on Thanksgiving Day. According to Loftus, since many retailers were offering incentives on the days leading up to Thanksgiving, as well as on Thanksgiving Day in recent years, it's likely they saw a boost on days they wouldn't normally see, but sales remain steady through the weekend as opposed to growing. "Some retail stores are trying to get back to that initial Friday sale," Loftus said, adding that many were simply trying to get an edge on their competition by opening earlier in the week. In 2006, retailers saw 5.2 percent growth in holiday sales, Allen said, but following the recession, the growth rate has slowed and still hasn't fully returned to the pre-recession levels. "We've definitely seen some positive growth," she said. "It's now about the rate of growth." At the moment, growth is around 4 percent, with 2015 sales expected to be around the same at approximately 3.5 percent. 2011 was the best year since the recession began with 5 percent growth that year. Even though gains have slowed, the days following Thanksgiving are still the largest shopping days of the year, and according to Allen, 2015's holiday weekend will be a tremendous boost for retailers in both sales and traffic. "That weekend overall is estimated to [account for] 10 to 15 percent of the entire holiday season, " Allen said. With millions of Americans looking to save money and kick off their holiday shopping, severe weather doesn't have to stop customers from getting the great deals, Loftus added. "Online sales are really important," Loftus said. "If the weather is not good, [retailers] might see a boost in online sales and 'Cyber Monday' sales." Many retailers have begun to offer special sales exclusively to their online customers as well, he added. Online shopping incentives have been becoming more and more common, and many who don't want to risk poor weather conditions to get a bargain can still start their holiday shopping from the comfort of their living room. "Holiday sales in 2015 are expected to represent approximately 19 percent of the retail industry's annual sales of $3.2 trillion," according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). "Additionally, NRF is forecasting online sales to increase between 6 and 8 percent to as much as $105 billion."


MOORESVILLE, N.C.   Ryan Truex will roll into Kentucky Speedway this weekend with JR Motorsports' No. 8 team, carrying a new partnership from award-winning country music duo Florida Georgia Line and the band's official merchandise website, ShopFGL.com . "I've been anxious to get back behind the wheel of this No. 8 car ever since we had such a strong run back in Phoenix," Truex said. "To be able to do it with Florida Georgia Line and ShopFGL.com is awesome. We have a great relationship with FGL lead singers Tyler (Hubbard) and Brian (Kelley), who are currently on their 'Can't Say I Ain't Country' tour. I think everyone agrees that country music and NASCAR fans are synonymous with each other, which makes this a perfect relationship. I love the look of this throwback scheme and can't wait to unload at Kentucky." The old-school red and gold paint scheme of the FGL / ShopFGL.com Chevrolet drew inspiration from the classic liveries of motorsport legends Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Tim Richmond. The paint scheme is also replicated on the fan-favorite single "Speed of Love" T-shirt, available at ShopFGL.com . To celebrate the partnership, fans that visit ShopFGL.com can use promo code GORYAN20 for 20 percent off their entire order. Since 2012, FGL has earned prestigious honors from the AMAs, ACM Awards, CMA Awards, Billboard Music Awards and CMT Music Awards, plus left its mark on several chart-crushing songs as writers. The duo were Billboard's first-ever Trailblazer Award recipients. The Kentucky event marks Truex's second race of the 2019 season. His lone start for JRM came in March when he drove the No. 8 to the team's season-best finish, a second-place effort at Phoenix Raceway. The No. 8 is currently ranked 12th in owner points on the strength of four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway airs on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. ]]>


Lululemon isn't technically a golf clothing company, but one of the best female golfers in the world is now wearing their gear on the course. Lydia Ko became a Lululemon elite ambassador officially last month, and the LPGA Tour star discussed the new partnership last week at Hazeltine National during the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Though Lululemon doesn't have a 'golf' section on its website, Ko, who does yoga, says the fit makes more sense than you'd think. "They're all about being mindful," Ko said of Lululemon. "I think that really plays into golf. It's not just a physical aspect but it's mental as well." Ko's partnership contributes to the larger athletic trend in golf apparel. Fabrics are more performance-based than ever, and you can find ways to wear athletic gear you're comfortable in on the golf course. Just because a piece of athletic clothing you love isn't labeled golf clothing, doesn't mean you can't wear it on the course. "It's great for golf," said Ko of Lululemon's support, "and for people who may not know a lot about golf but are huge yoga fans, maybe they could get into golf. I think the two play well together." Here are some of the Lululemon outfits Ko has worn on-course lately and how you can buy each piece. Shop Lydia Ko's Lululemon looks from the first round of the Women's PGA Championship: Top: Breeze By Long Sleeve Squad | BUY NOW: $78 Pants: On the Fly Jogger| BUY NOW: $118 Polo: Players Pro Form Polo | BUY NOW: $68 Shop Lydia Ko's Lululemon look from the third round of the Women's PGA Championship: Top: Breeze By Long Sleeve Squad | BUY NOW: $78 Pants: On the Fly Jogger| BUY NOW: $118 Polo: Swiftly Speed Polo | BUY NOW: $74 Shop Lydia Ko's Lululemon look from the first round of the Women's U.S. Open: Top: For a similar look try Stripe In Stride Long Sleeve | BUY NOW: $88 Shorts: Spring Break Away Short | BUY NOW: $58 Shop Lydia Ko's Lululemon look from the Instagram announcement: Top: Breeze By Short Sleeve Squad | BUY NOW: $68 Skirt: Play Off The Pleats Skirt | BUY NOW: $68


Wondering what to do in Boston this weekend? From a patio pickle party to a Caribbean food festival, here's a rundown of how to enjoy those precious weekend hours before the clock runs down. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 2019 Boston Seafood Festival From the event description: The Boston Seafood Festival will offer a full day of events focused on celebrating our delicious seafood heritage. The event will include amazing seafood vendors and food trucks. We will have non-seafood items, too. There will also be celebrity chef demos, an oyster-shucking contest and fish-cutting demos. When: Sunday, Aug. 4, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Where: Boston Fish Pier Admission: Free-$85 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Loretta's Patio Pickle Party From the event description: Loretta's is throwing down and y'all better relish this evening! The event, sponsored by Grillo's Pickles and Tullamore Dew, will feature a pickle-eating contest, pickle-inspired snacks and giveaways. When: Sunday, Aug. 4, noon-4 p.m. Where: Loretta's Last Call, 1 Lansdowne St. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Taste of the Caribbean Boston From the event description: Taste of the Caribbean has become one of Boston's family festival summer traditions, welcoming hundreds of guests each year to have a taste and explore the delicious food, live entertainment, arts and natural products of the Caribbean culture. A percentage of the contributions we receive will go towards our scholarship program to fund scholars from our local community. When: Sunday, Aug. 4, 1-7 p.m. Where: Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St. Admission: Free-$50 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Parking in Boston can be tough, especially during popular events. To find free or cheap parking and to book parking in advance, see this map of Boston parking from SpotAngels. And to get there by public transportation, check the MTBA's website for nearby stations and schedules. This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


It is getting physical at practice for the Raiders as they spent the second day with the Rams ahead of their preseason matchup. The two teams got into a fight on Thursday as things got heated on the field. It was tackle Tyler Roemer who started the brawl with Rams outside linebacker Josh Carraway. You can watch the full fight below via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN: Punches thrown between the Raiders offense and Rams defense at combined practice. Sean McVay sprints over from the field where offense is playing to check out situation. A minute later, play resumes. pic.twitter.com/CCCi90D0Ee - Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) August 8, 2019 With HBO being at the practice, you can expect this fight to be aired on next week's episode of "Hard Knocks with the Oakland Raiders." MORE: A furious Chris Davis had to be held back from Orioles manager Brandon Hyde Deadline passes as Elliott loses accrued season, fines reach $500K WATCH: Raiders-Rams fight during Thursday practice Breaking down everything the Duke Johnson trade means for the Browns 6 quick takeaways from Packers' joint practices with Texans


Supercars points leader Scott McLaughlin made it a Winton clean sweep with an emphatic win over teammate Fabian Coulthard on Sunday. As expected based on his half-second advantage in qualifying, it was a straightforward win for the defending series champion. Having beaten teammate Fabian Coulthard to the first corner, McLaughlin had more than a second up his sleeve within the first three laps. He then eased the advantage over Coulthard out to around 4s across the first stint, before Coulthard made his first stop on Lap 16. McLaughlin came in three laps later, returning with an almost identical lead. It stayed that way until the second round of stops, too, Coulthard 4.1s down when he stopped again on Lap 37. Six laps later McLaughlin made his second service, after which the lead really started to blow out. It grew to as much as 8s during the final stint, only for a Lap 58 Safety Car   to recover Will Davison's broken Mustang   to close the top two right back up. The five-lap dash to the finish was easy enough for McLaughlin to deal with, though, his winning margin just under a second. "It's been an amazing weekend, two wins for our team, a pole and a one-two," said McLaughlin. "Our cars were just ridiculously good and I'm excited for the future and the rest of the year. "We battle hard, we had a little kerfuffle yesterday, we got our butts kicked and came back here today." The battle for third was a little more spirited, with Holden drivers Jamie Whincup and David Reynolds scrapping over the final spot on the podium. For the first two stints it was Reynolds running in third, however that all changed when Triple Eight went for the undercut by bringing Whincup in for a second stop on Lap 33. Erebus responded by pitting Reynolds a lap later, the Penrite Holden coming out just in front of Whincup. But the seven-time champ wasn't content with slotting in behind, running side-by-side with Reynolds through the first two corners before barging by on the way into Turn 3. This all played out well behind the Penske Mustangs, however, with Whincup around 20s behind McLaughlin before that late Safety Car. Lee Holdsworth finished fifth, helped by a strategic gamble gone wrong for Nick Percat in the closing stages of the race. The Brad Jones Racing driver had been running ahead of Holdsworth, but elected to pit for fresh rubber when the Safety Car came out with nine laps left. That dumped him back to 12th, with just five laps after the restart to try and make an impact on better tyres. It wasn't quite enough, though, Percat only recovering to ninth. Cam Waters and Shane van Gisbergen finished sixth and seventh, Scott Pye holding off a hard-charging Percat for eighth. Fresh from a second place on Saturday, Chaz Mostert had an action-packed Sunday. It started when he sprayed his Tickford Mustang at Turn 7 on the first lap while running sixth, rejoining way behind the pack. He quickly ran down wildcard driver Jack Smith, but had a second excursion while trying to pass the Brad Jones Racing Holden at Turn 3 on the second lap. His then copped a 15s penalty for contact on James Courtney midway through the race, but, like Percat, gambled on a new set of rubber during the Safety Car and charged his way to 10th. After the Winton round, McLaughlin leads the standings with an extended margin of 242 points over Coulthard. Race results: ClaDriverCarGap 1 Scott McLaughlin Ford Mustang GT 2 Fabian Coulthard Ford Mustang GT 3 Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore ZB 4 David Reynolds Holden Commodore ZB 5 Lee Holdsworth Ford Mustang GT 6 Cameron Waters Ford Mustang GT 7 Shane van Gisbergen Holden Commodore ZB 8 Scott Pye Holden Commodore ZB 9 Nick Percat Holden Commodore ZB 10 Chaz Mostert Ford Mustang GT 11 Andre Heimgartner Nissan Altima 12 Tim Slade Holden Commodore ZB 13 James Courtney Holden Commodore ZB 14 Chris Pither Holden Commodore ZB 15 Todd Hazelwood Holden Commodore ZB 16 Macauley Jones Holden Commodore ZB 17 Anton De Pasquale Holden Commodore ZB 18 Garry Jacobson Nissan Altima 19 James Golding Holden Commodore ZB 20 Jack Le Brocq Holden Commodore ZB 21 Jack Smith Holden Commodore ZB 22 Mark Winterbottom Holden Commodore ZB 23 Simona de Silvestro Nissan Altima Will Davison Ford Mustang GT Rick Kelly Nissan Altima View full results


Researchers at the University of St Andrews trained three grey seals from birth.


The Golden State Warriors not only lost the NBA championship on Thursday night, but they lost another star player late in the game when Klay Thompson suffered a knee injury after landing awkwardly in the third quarter . He heroically came back onto the court to shoot a pair of free throws right after the injury but then was done for the game moments later and then the Warriors went on to lose Game 6 at home. And now we don't know when we'll next see him on a basketball court because according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss a significant amount of time next season. Even if Warriors are able to keep Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in free agency, it'll be a fight to reach playoffs in the Western Conference. Thompson's ACL rehab could take him into February or March - and Durant likely misses entire season. Devastating turn of events. https://t.co/xKXayv9p34 - Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 14, 2019 The team later made it official: https://twitter.com/WarriorsPR/status/1139416743028256768 Thompson, of course, is set to become a free agent in a few weeks, so now his future, like Durant's, is full of questions. Twitter reacted to the news: No man!!! This lost hurt but hearing about this killed me. Prayers up to you bro @KlayThompson - Jordan Bell (@1jordanbell) June 14, 2019 Damn man prayers up for @KlayThompson and @KDTrey5 for a healthy recovery!!! Hate to see ppl go out like that!!! - Robert Covington (@Holla_At_Rob33) June 14, 2019 Damn get well champ @KlayThompson your heart is something else https://t.co/EvcAfWohhs - Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) June 14, 2019 Klay Thompson walked back on the court with a torn ACL and knocked down both free throws. LEGEND. pic.twitter.com/0lKKtYZd9i - Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 14, 2019 Klay Thompson tore his ACL. Walked back on the court and made two free throws. Just give him the max. - Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) June 14, 2019 Thompson legit told Kerr he'd back back in two minutes. He. Tore. His. ACL. Giant among boys. Respect, @KlayThompson - Vincent Frank (@VincentFrankNFL) June 14, 2019 Just remember, Klay Thompson tore his ACL, and returned to the court to take his free throws… a hero. - Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 14, 2019 Kobe Bryant made two free throws on a torn Achilles. Klay Thompson made two free throws with a torn ACL. Paul Pierce needed a wheelchair because he had to go to the bathroom. - Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) June 14, 2019 Warriors' top free agents: - Kevin Durant, torn Achilles tendon - Klay Thompson, torn ACL - DeMarcus Cousins, torn quad - Kevon Looney, broken collarbone - Adi Joseph (@AdiJoseph) June 14, 2019 If not for Klay and Steph's heroics at the end of G5, there is no G6, and Klay doesn't suffer that injury. This was just such a strange, brutal and costly series for GSW. For basketball as a whole, in a lot of ways. - Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) June 14, 2019 At the end of the day is just a game. Just devastated to see this happen. •Kevin Durant - Ruptured Achilles •Klay Thompson - Torn ACL Praying for both to have speedy recoveries. Hate to see this for both heading into free agency. Much respect #DubNation #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/DkvlZ3nLm7 - Dylan (@DylansRawTake) June 14, 2019 Klay Thompson walked back out with a torn ACL and did everything he could to help his team win this game. Talk about a player's player. pic.twitter.com/gfRbeuH547 - Alex Tran (@NinerAlex) June 14, 2019 Klay Thompson went to locker room, came back on the floor to shoot two FT's then ran back to play defense w/a torn ACL. Then told Steve Kerr he needed "two minutes" and would be back for start of fourth quarter. Incredible display of toughness. #Warriors - John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) June 14, 2019 Klay Thompson came back and shot two free throws on a torn ACL. Was seen jogging and jumping on it trying to come back in the game. Man Pray for Klay everyone. Much love and respect Heart of a Warrior #DubNation #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/JJzoTEBiov - Dylan (@DylansRawTake) June 14, 2019 MORE: NBA fans slammed Steph Curry for his crucial missed 3 in Game 6 NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Report: Lonzo Ball 'most important' piece of Anthony Davis deal Report: 14th overall pick may be on table for Rockets' Clint Capela Klay Thompson Suffers Torn ACL in Game 6 of NBA Finals Related Slideshow: Best of the 2019 NBA Finals (provided by imagn)


Greek air force pilots rescue passengers from the burning "Norman Atlantic" in the Adriatic Sea. Elly Park reports.


The CDC's new warning comes after a woman possibly contracted the virus from a man who hadn't shown symptoms for nearly 200 days.


In the summer, when it's hot and every crevice of your body is sweating , there's nothing quite like cracking open a can of La Croix   and then another, and another, and another. Maybe it's the feeling of the cold frosty can on your fingertips, or the sensation of the bubbles going down your throat, or the sweet satisfaction of finishing off a can, but often seltzer and sparkling water just seems more hydrating or exciting than regular flat water . Given the choice between drinking seltzer and plain water, many people would opt for the bubbly, due to taste alone. But when you're parched and on the verge of dehydrated , it can feel like a dilemma. While both beverages are technically water, is sparkling water equally as hydrating as flat water, or is that all in your head? First, it's important to understand what seltzer even is. Seltzer is water and carbon dioxide gas (hence the term "carbonated") that has an effervescent quality. Sometimes seltzer contains added ingredients such as sugar or sodium, which give it flavor or taste, and other times it's just straight-up water. Compared to other flavored carbonated drinks   looking at you, soda and beer   seltzer water is certainly a healthier option, because it contains very little sugar and often none at all. When it comes to hydration, the short answer is that seltzer water and flat water are equal, explains Ron Maughan , PhD, professor in the school of medicine at St. Andrews University. A 2016 study authored by Dr. Maughan found that sparkling water and regular water fall at the same point on a "beverage hydration index," meaning the hydration effects will be exactly the same if the same volume of each liquid is consumed. However, there are some other factors that may affect seltzer's hydration potential beyond just the beverage contents, he adds. Some people just prefer drinking seltzer over water, which may help keep them hydrated, too, Dr. Maughan says. "If they like what they're drinking and drink more, that will clearly affect the response," he says. Anyone who's reached for a can of La Croix over a glass of tap water understands what he's talking about here. What matters most is that you're drinking some liquid, and if it happens to be bubbly, then that's still great. Luckily for those of us who are obsessed with seltzer, there's no real harm in indulging this summer. "There is very little gas in sparkling water," Dr. Maughan says. "Most is dissipated when the bottle is opened, as it sits in the glass, or in the mouth as it is being consumed." In other words, your body can't really tell the difference between seltzer and water. "By the time it is emptied from the stomach, and reaches the small intestine where it is absorbed, there is little difference between the two," he adds. While we give you permission to go full seltzer this summer, it might not be the most appropriate drink all the time. For example, if you're exercising or are dehydrated from drinking alcohol , then you might want to opt for plain H2O or something with electrolytes that will replenish the fluids you've lost. But if you really can't stand drinking water , the good news is there are plenty of ways to stay hydrated that are more interesting than water sans sparkle. Related Video: 'Hard Seltzer' Drinks Spike in Popularity (Provided by KDVR-TV Denver)


Naomi Osaka has not gotten used to losing much lately and had a difficult time handling the media after her upset loss at Wimbledon on Monday. Osaka, the two seed on the women's side, lost to Yulia Putintseva in straight sets 7-6, 6-2 in the first round at the All England Club. The first-round defeat marked her earliest grand slam loss since the 2017 French Open and comes after she recently won the U.S. Open and Australian Open for her first two career majors. Even though Osaka answered questions in her post-match press conference, she was visibly uncomfortable and asked to end the session early because she said she felt like she was about to cry. "I feel like I'm about to cry." Naomi Osaka cut an emotional figure in her post-match press conference before she had to cut it short. Today at #Wimbledon @BBCTwo https://t.co/avSpk2uvJ0 pic.twitter.com/uOJqIk37jm   BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) July 1, 2019 Since winning the Australian Open in January, Osaka has gone 13-7, with six of the losses coming to players outside the top 20. She's also dealt with abdominal and hand injuries. Putintseva might very well be a bad matchup for Osaka, as she also lost to her in the second round at Birmingham in straight sets. Related slideshow: Wimbledon 2019 (provided by imagn)


Rumors that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's marriage is on the rocks have been swirling for years, and on Monday, RadarOnline came out with what seems like the millionth report claiming the couple is headed toward divorce . And what do you know: It's not true. Just ask Will Smith. The 46-year-old actor was pretty emphatic about it when he took to Facebook to dispel reports : Under normal circumstances, I don't usually respond to foolishness. (Because it's contagious) But, so many people have... Posted by Will Smith on Monday, August 3, 2015 Jada quickly followed up Will's statement on Twitter. My king has spoken.   Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) August 3, 2015 The couple, who married in 1997 and are parents to Jaden, 17, and Willow, 14, have long been plagued by rumors of divorce, cheating and that they have an open marriage. And because their marriage is under constant scrutiny, Pinkett Smith recently opened up to American Airlines' inflight magazine American Way, revealing that at this point, the couple almost expects the rumors. "Every year there's a new [rumor]. And I'm like, 'Here we go. Get ready. Are ya holdin' on tight?'" she told the magazine, adding that though her and Will's relationship isn't perfect, she doesn't understand why people assume the couple would simply give up on their marriage. "And relationships go through shifts because in life, things shift," she said. "So people are automatically like, 'What's going on? They must be getting a divorce.' Well, no. But when people feel those shifts and there's a mystery, they have to fill it with something." Also on HuffPost: For a constant stream of entertainment news and discussion, follow HuffPost Entertainment on Viber .