Not so Zen ... Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury is being divorced by his wife of 31 ...

Ed Hartwell of Real Housewives of Atlanta, NFL Fame, and Chiseled4Life Bootcamp

Not so Zen ... Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury is being divorced by his wife of 31 years, Rajashree. Picture: Supplied

HE is the self-proclaimed Superman of fitness gurus who built a multimillion-dollar hot yoga empire.

But with a string of rape allegations against him, his franchise falling into disrepute and a humiliated wife filing for divorce, the heat is firmly on Bikram Choudhury.

The 69-year-old pioneered his own version of yoga in India in the late Sixties and has been championed by stars including Madonna, David Beckham and Andy Murray.

There are more than 700 Bikram yoga schools around the world, with fans extolling the merits of his system of 26 poses performed in rooms heated to 40C.

The Sun reports one former student as saying: Hed talk about some girls b*****s or tell stories about how all the women in LA were walking funny after intercourse with him.

Another tells of how during one class, Choudhury stood up, grabbed his crotch and screamed: I am a Bengal tiger! I am a Bengal tiger!

Others talk of how he would promise to cure cancer and regularly boast of his famous clients and friends.

Now his empire is crumbling.

Since 2013, six women have accused Choudhury of rape or sexual assault.

The claims, the first of which is due to reach court this year, are said to have led to some of his franchises dropping his name.

One of his accusers says Choudhury told her, If you dont have s*x with me, Ill die, before raping her.

The health guru let slip in 2014 the effect the accusations were having on his marriage, telling how his wife of 31 years, Rajashree, never looks at me.

Last week it was revealed the 50-year-old, with whom he built the Bikram brand, is seeking a divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Choudhury blames the recent scandal on Western culture and boasted on US TV: Women love me. So if I really wanted to involve the women, I dont have to assault the women.

Lawyers for Choudhury refute the claims made against their client, saying: Mr Choudhury did not sexually assault any of the plaintiffs.

Their claims are false and dishonour Bikram yoga and the health and spiritual benefits it has brought to the lives of millions of practitioners throughout the world.

Quiet departure ... Ricky Martins departure from The Voice Australia was barely mentioned. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

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IN WORLD NEWS

AN AUSTRALIAN tourist has died while swimming off a beach on the southern Thai resort island of Koh Samui, police say.

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IN SHOWBIZ NEWS

KESHIA Knight Pulliam who played Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show has become engaged to former NFL star Ed Hartwell.

HARRY Styles and Kendall Jenner appear to be giving love another try, inviting Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi on to their boat. See the pics.

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Source: http://www.news.com.au/world/brekkie-wrap-heat-rising-for-bikram-yoga-founder-bikram-choudhury/news-story/f8aa6137ac79d5da4b9c85677b275123

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What Avon junior OL Sam Gerak brings to Northwestern football

Northwestern at Wisconsin - Football Highlights

AVON, Ohio Avon junior center Sam Gerak announced on his Twitter account on Monday that he has committed to play his college football at Northwestern.

The second team All-Ohioan in Division II is the No. 2 center in the country and the No. 21 prospect in Ohio for the Class of 2017 according to 247Sports.com.

At 6-foot-3, 285 lbs., Gerak, the son of former Penn State and NFL player John Gerak, has been a key component up front for an Avon offense that averaged 43.4 points per game last season.

"Sam"s obviously one of the best (offensive linemen) we"ve had," Avon coach Mike Elder said. "We"ve had a lot of good players, a lot of good linemen. But Sam has all the physical tools to go with being a good high school player."

Gerak and the Eagles went 10-2 in 2015 and reached the Division II, Region 4 second round.

When it comes to what makes Gerak a strong lineman, North Ridgeville coach Luke Durbin, who has seen him each of the last two years, pointed to Gerak"s physicality.

"I think he really is the entire package," Durbin said. "He"s got all of the physical tools.

"If you look at Avon, they mostly run the ball downhill other than when they throw to the perimeter. When they run the ball downhill, they"re usually running it behind that guy."

Northwestern finished the regular season ranked No. 13 in the final College Football Playoff rankings with a 10-2 record. The Wildcats and coach Pat Fitzgerald run a diverse spread offense based on running the ball.

When it comes to scheme fit, Elder believes Gerak will fit in very well with Northwestern"s offense.

"He"s got a high football IQ," Elder said. "He"s been working at this since he was young and has a father, who does a great job and understands the game, who works with him at home as well as getting coaches by us at Avon.

"I have no doubt he"ll transition mentally and that"s the least of my concerns. The bottom line for Sam is that he"s going to get bigger and stronger. He needs to if he"s going to be a great player in the Big Ten, which is his goal."

In addition to his Northwestern offer, Gerak had seven other offers including Illinois, Rutgers, Bowling Green and Toledo.

Source: http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/-4375352590044246843/what-avon-junior-ol-sam-gerak-brings-to-northwestern-football/

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Ted Cruz tries to use abrasive personality to his advantage

PBS NewsHour full episode Dec. 31, 2015

MECHANICSVILLE, Va. Ted Cruzs reputation as an arrogant, grating, in-your-face ideologue has dogged him throughout the Republican presidential race. But it hasnt stopped the Texas senators rise.

Cruz is increasingly embracing his irascible persona, trying to turn what could be a liability into an asset.

If you want someone to grab a beer with, I may not be that guy, Cruz said at a Republican debate this fall when asked to describe his biggest weakness. But if you want someone to drive you home, I will get the job done and I will get you home.

Cruz and his supporters relish his outsider status, highlighting his conflicts with fellow Republican senators. Not one has endorsed him for president.

A group backing Cruzs candidacy sent out a fundraising email plea in December with the subject line Washington hates Ted Cruz. Cruz frequently rails against the Washington cartel, which he argues is scared that conservatives are uniting behind him, and says hes glad that Washington elites despise him.

Cruz supporters, including some who turned up for a large rally at an evangelical church near Richmond, Virginia, in December, are embracing the abrasiveness thats caused Cruz to clash with other Republicans.

They view him as a renegade in the GOP, said Carter Cobb, 56 and retired from the Navy, from Mechanicsville, Virginia. He doesnt toe the party line. Thats what were trying to get away from.

To Cobb and others, Cruz is the only candidate willing to make anyone angry and stand up for what he believes in.

It makes me like him all the more. Ive always liked people who were on the outside, said Daniel Daehlin, 51, from Richfield, Minnesota. Ronald Reagan never got along with the establishment. They hated him in 1976 and 80. I like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington someone who goes there, speaks his mind and doesnt try to cater to the inside-the-Beltway crowd.

Myra Simons, a Cruz backer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, agrees.

Are we going to elect someone just because you cant sit across the table and have dinner with them? Simons said. Or are you going to stand with someone who stands with the Constitution and is serious about the trouble our country is in?

Cruz made his reputation in the Senate by refusing to compromise.

He filibustered for 21 hours against President Barack Obamas health care law. The confrontational strategy he championed resulted in a 16-day partial government shutdown and alienated GOP leaders.

But his reading of Green Eggs and Ham during that filibuster became a seminal moment for Cruz. He frequently refers to it, including in a recent television ad he ran in Iowa where he reads to his two daughters from reimagined holiday stories with a conservative bent such as The Grinch Who Lost Her Emails.

While the ad was designed to be funny, Cruz is not known for his sense of humor.

Foreign Policy magazine once described him as the human equivalent of one of those flower-squirters that clowns wear on their lapels.

The national collegiate debating champion has shown his brusque side in the presidential debates, including the most recent one in Las Vegas when he refused to stop talking even as moderator Wolf Blitzer of CNN tried to shut him down.

Craig Mazin, who was Cruzs freshman roommate at Princeton, went so far as to tell the Daily Beast in a 2013 interview that he would be happier with anyone other than Cruz as president. I would rather pick somebody from the phone book, Mazin said.

But Cruz has shown a lighter side that his campaign says demonstrates hes not as unlikable as his reputation suggests.

Cruz acted out scenes from The Princess Bride during a November interview at WMUR in New Hampshire, and that clip has been watched more than 250,000 times on YouTube. After rival Donald Trump referred to Cruz as a little bit of a maniac, the Cruz campaign tried to laugh it off by posting a video on Twitter of the song Maniac from the film Flashdance.

Research shows that the importance of a candidates likability may be overrated anyway, said David Redlawsk, a Rutgers University expert in Iowa electoral politics who is spending the fall at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Voters are looking for a whole range of things, Redlawsk said, and likability is just one small part of that.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/ted-cruz-tries-to-use-abrasive-personality-to-his-advantage/

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Rose Bowl: Christian McCaffrey and Stanford jump all over Iowa in a 45-16 rout

Christian McCaffrey Highlights (2015-16) - Stanford Football

PASADENA, Calif. Iowa waited 25 years to make a return trip to the Rose Bowl, and it took only 11 seconds for the Hawkeyes to get stunned.

Christian McCaffrey raced 75 yards into the end zone on Stanfords opening drive not long after Iowas players charged onto the field and revved up the black-and-gold-clad fans in the north end zone. The Hawkeyes cheering section quickly went silent.

The sixth-ranked Hawkeyes had no answer for McCaffrey and struggled on offense in a 45-16 loss to No. 5 Stanford on Friday, ending a season in which they opened 12-0 for the first time in school history.

McCaffrey set a record for most all-purpose yards in Rose Bowl history with 368. He finished with 18 carries for 172 rushing yards and had four catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. McCaffrey also added a 63-yard punt return.

During the game, he became the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season in Stanford history.

McCaffrey, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, also became the first player to top 100 yards rushing and receiving in the 102-year history of the Rose Bowl.

Comedian and Iowa native Tom Arnold, croaking hoarsely during an in-game interview, vowed the Hawkeyes would rally in the second half.

And they did, outscoring Stanford (12-2) 16-10. But it was too little, too late after they gave up a game-record 35 points in the first half.

The Hawkeyes (12-2) got a 39-yard field goal by Marshall Koehn late in the third quarter after C.J. Beathard was sacked twice. Beathard threw his only two TD passes in the fourth quarter, when the Hawkeyes trailed by 29 points. Matt VandeBerg caught a 36-yarder, and Akrum Wadley scored on a 31-yarder with 2:46 remaining.

Iowa was the last team to be blanked in the Rose Bowl, losing 28-0 to Washington in 1982. The Hawkeyes were beaten 46-34 by Washington in the schools last appearance in 1991.

This one was much worse.

One night after Michigan State lost 38-0 to No. 2 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, the Big Ten stumbled badly again.

This blowout was well under way in the first half, when Iowa trailed 35-0. As if Hawkeyes fans werent already bummed, they booed heartily when Stanfords band offended their Midwestern sensibilities with a galloping costumed cow that tipped over at halftime.

Iowas second drive of the game ended with Quenton Meeks 66-yard interception return, giving Stanford a 21-0 lead.

Beathard fell to 13-2 in his career as Iowas starting quarterback. The junior was 21 of 33 for 239 yards, with one interception and seven sacks.

LeShun Daniels was the Hawkeyes leading rusher with 37 yards, while VandeBerg was the leading receiver with four catches for 64 yards.

McCaffrey struck again in the second quarter, scoring in front of Iowas silent band on a 63-yard punt return for a 28-0 lead. The Cardinal extended the lead to 35-0 when Michael Rector caught a 31-yard pass from Kevin Hogan and cruised into the end zone without a defender covering him.

The Hawkeyes ended the season with consecutive losses, having been beaten 16-13 by Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game. That cost Iowa a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Source: http://theadvocate.com/sports/latestsports/14451133-84/rose-bowl-christian-mccaffrey-and-stanford-jump-all-over-iowa-in-a-45-16-rout

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Thousands shop at Dillard"s for annual New Year"s sale

The Dillards - Dooley

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Over 6,000 items for women, 2,000 items for men, 900 home items and 400 hand bags were on sale Friday at Dillard"s.

NewsChannel 7 asked two young shoppers, "What are you guys doing here today?"

Bella Ray & Brinley Hendricks responded,"We are shopping."

That seemed to be the case for hundreds of people on New Year"s day.

Abe Martin, a first time New Year"s day shopper said, "I got a lot of good deals today, I was able to buy pretty much a blazer at a decent price."

Dillard"s at the Panama City Mall opened up an hour earlier Friday morning, to a line wrapped around the building.

Bryanna Kinney a local shopper said, "I just keep running into people and I"m just trying to find my way around."

All 90 Dillard"s employees were on schedule to work Friday and extra security was brought in.

"There"s a lot of people in there," said Tenisha Houston.

Martin agrees, "Yeah there is, but I think they maintained the crowd pretty good."

Those who waited until for crowds to die down didn"t have the same shopping experience.

"I got some stuff that I was looking for, but other stuff it just wasn"t here," said Morgan Vaughn.

"Everything was like sold out," said Kinney. "So I didn"t really find anything anything I was looking for," said

For some, the deals were a steal.

All merchandise was an additional 50 percent off.

"I like the polo sale,"said Martin. "Actually I got this really cute Florida State beanie hat that was only $10," said Houston.

"Even though were not a Florida State fans," said Martin. "But we"re going to be a Florida State fan for $10."

"It didn"t look cheap, but it was cheap," said Hendricks.

"A lot of the Nike stuff was sold out, and I wish I could have got some," said Vaughn.

Shoppers are offering advice for the 2017 One-Day-Only sale.

" I would probably come earlier," said Vaughn,

"Watch out and be careful," said Bella Ray & Brinley Hendricks. "There are a lot of people. Like watch out were you"re going if you have any babies you need to keep them safe."

Source: http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Thousands-shop-at-Dillards-for-annual-one-day-new-years-sale-364005411.html

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Apple TV universal search integration expands to PBS and PBS Kids, suggests ...

PBS NewsHour full episode Dec. 25, 2015

By Mikey CampbellSaturday, January 02, 2016, 04:27 pm PT (07:27 pm ET)

It appears Apple has made good on promises to roll out developer access to Apple TV universal search APIs, as tvOS now includes deep content links from both the PBS and PBS Kids apps.

The change was spotted on Saturday by AppleInsider reader Erik, who discovered a Siri query for "Curious George" surfaced the PBS Kids app as a viewing option alongside the usual iTunes and Netflix choices. A separate search for "Antiques Roadshow" returned a results page showing streaming availability through the PBS app, a separate title from PBS Kids.

Universal search is a tentpole feature for the fourth-generation Apple TV, a set-top box capable of streaming movies, TV shows, music and more from a variety of apps. With ties to Siri, universal search allows users to find content from multiple sources by typing in or speaking certain search terms. For example, a query for a popular TV series like "Scandal" returns a dedicated results page with matches from all apps and services through which that content is available, in this case iTunes, Netflix and Hulu.

Initially, universal search functionality was limited to iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime and HBO.

A month before fourth-gen Apple TV units hit store shelves, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would open universal search APIs to third-party developers in the near future, but declined to comment on an exact time window.

"I think that many, many people will want to be in that search," Cook said. "And that"s great for users. Think about your experience today. Even if you"re fortunate enough to have the content you want to watch in an app, you sometimes don"t remember exactly where that show is, so you"re going to Netflix or Hulu or Showtime. You shouldn"t have to do that. It should be very simple."

Source: http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/01/02/apple-tv-universal-search-integration-expanded-to-pbs-and-pbs-kids

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Happy New Year 2016!!!!

[ENG] [BANGTAN BOMB] Happy new year 2016!

Well, the New Year is here! Happy New Year 2016!!! We hope and pray that both you and your families had a very joyous and wonderful CHRISTmas!

Also, we wish you ALL an extremely blessed and most prosperous New Year in 2016! May all of your New Years resolutions and all of your wishes come true in 2016! The coming New Year will bring many exciting opportunities for all of us! With the New Year, we will all get a chance for a fresh start toward the things that we most want to accomplish.

We will also face many challenges in the New Year. Challenges for: our city, our state, our country and our world. As we begin 2016, we do not want to let the opportunity to say Thank You pass us by..an opportunity to thank you, our valued readers and advertisers, for your support, your friendship and your encouragement. Your kind words mean more than we can adequately express!

In 2016, our BPT team will be even more committed to chronicling the history of Bossier Parish as it happens. As such, we look forward to the many positive changes that 2016 will bring to both our community and to your newspaper as we continue to focus upon improving our publication in order to both change and grow with our ever-changing and growing community!

Randy Brown, Publisher

Bossier Press-Tribune

Source: http://bossierpress.com/happy-new-year-2016/

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