Rep. Collins: Trump will stand strong with Netanyahu, Israel
The number of immigrants to israel declined from 31,000 in 2015 to 27,000 in 2016, according to preliminary data the Jewish Agency and the Immigrant Absorption Ministry released on Thursday.
The country that lost the highest number of its Jews to Israel this year was Russia (7,000), compared to 6,600 last year. There was also an increase in people coming from Brazil this year, with the arrival of 760 immigrants, compared with 497 last year.
The number of immigrants from Ukraine and France, however, dropped. Approximately 5,500 Ukrainian immigrants arrived in 2016, compared with 7,221 last year. There were some 5,000 French immigrants this year 2,900 less than in 2015, when France topped the chart. The US, another major source of immigration, also saw a slight decrease in immigrants, with 2,900 arrivals in 2016 170 fewer than last year.
The number of immigrants from Belarus was 620, compared to 600 last year; 650 from the United Kingdom, compared to 775; and 272 from South Africa, compared to 236.
The majority of immigrants, 9,500, were young adults from the ages of 18 to 35. Some 5,150 were 17 or younger; 3,000 ages 36 to 45; 4,600 from 46 to 65; and just over 3,000 were 66 or older.
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, remarked that despite the downward shift this year, the long-term trend continues to be higher, and that the current numbers are still relatively high in context of the past 15 years.
This is evidence of the fact that Israel continues to draw Jews from around the world seeking to live lives of meaning and identity, he said.
He added, however, that this means the Israeli government must invest more to aid the integration and absorption of immigrants, particularly with employment and recognition of professional and academic certifications. This has been a source of particular frustration for olim from France, where certifications in some fields are not recognized in Israel.
Qualita, the umbrella organization for French immigrants, flagged this issue in response to the newly released data, describing the figures as concerning. They said the numbers were even more alarming, considering that approximately 10% of French immigrants leave within three years of their arrival.
Its sad to see that from France, the country from which there was the most immigrants in recent years, there were only 5,000 olim, in contrast with some 8,000 last year, said Qualita CEO Ariel Kandel. According to Kandel, the main cause for the decline was difficulty in finding suitable employment.
Kandel acknowledged that a solution had been reached on the issue of qualifications of dentists from France and that one was in the works for pharmacists as well. He said, however, that thousands of qualified French nurses are still unable to work in Israel because their certifications are not recognized, and urged the authorities to solve the problem.
Medicine was among several professions highlighted by the Jewish Agency and Absorption Ministry with the release of this years data.
An estimated 1,150 immigrants in 2016 have professional backgrounds in medical and paramedical fields; 5,000 in industry, construction, and food services; 2,400 worked in hi-tech and engineering; 1,900 in the humanities and social sciences; and 1,080 in accounting and law.
We are strengthening and building new projects in the realms of employing immigrants and encouraging entrepreneurship across the country, with an emphasis on Jerusalem, the Negev and the Galilee, Immigration and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver said.
We have continued to act in order to remove barriers to immigrants employment, and we reached a particular high in job placements this year, she added. I fought and managed to increase the annual budget for local authorities, to increase activities with young people and students, and I will not give up and will continue to act ceaselessly in the realm of housing, along with our achievements this year.
The data represent totals through November of this year and estimates based on aliya flight bookings and other factors through the end of December, according to Jewish Agency spokesman Avi Mayer. Complete numbers for 2016 are expected in a few weeks.
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Golden State Warriors vs Brooklyn Nets - Full Game Highlights | Dec 22, 2016 | 2016-17 NBA Season
The craziest moment in the Golden State Warriors" 121-111 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday was not Kevin Durant"s clutch block against DeMar DeRozan or Stephen Curry celebrating Durant"s 3-pointer before the shot went up. It was a meaningless bit of fun that didn"t count.
In the fourth quarter, Durant was fouled by Cory Joseph in transition and shoveled a pass to Andre Iguodala as he fell down. After the whistle, Iguodala jumped, put the ball through his legs and threw a behind-the-back alley-oop pass to Shaun Livingston, who dunked it home. It was completely unnecessary, and it was awesome.
"One of a kind," Curry said, via let"s go warriors. "that was pretty amazing. the fact that he was able to execute it and the fact that Shaun was aware enough to be there and jump for it and dunk it. It"s not often the play of the game is one that didn"t count."
It was one of those times where the crowd reaction was louder for the in-arena replay than when the play actually occurred -- you can forgive fans for not quite understanding what they saw at first. Warriors commentator Bob Fitzgerald called it "the greatest fast break that never happened."
ESPN First Take Today 12/29/16 Full Show - George Karl, Ronda Rousey, Carmelo Anthony And NFL?
Good morning. Lets basketball.
JAMELOT IS DEAD: Ramona Shelburne with the essential tick-tock of the breakup of Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss. The best revelation is that the NBA forced the couples to sign documents surrounding conflicts of interest, and one of the provisions was that they had to notify the league and other owners if they decided to marry. Adam Silver just wants to make sure he gets that invite!
Get news, links and Ziller"s #hottakes in your inbox every weekday morning.
JIMMY BUTLER BUZZER-BEATER GAME WINNER THE CROWD GOES WILD!
WELP: Carmelo Anthony earns an ejection for striking Thabo Sefolosha in the face. Hawks win in OT.
HA! The Raptors, down by 10 in the waning seconds in Oakland, tried to score some garbage-time buckets. Kevin Durant decided that wasnt going to happen.
[ARCHED EYEBROW]: Paul George alleges a league conspiracy to withhold free throws from the Pacers.
GOTTA DIG A little deeper: george karl is now granting publicity interviews, and umprompted by David Marchese at New York Mag, Karl blamed the Blazers woes on Damian Lillards increasing fame. (Lillard has never played for Karl.) Dames agent and Blazers coach Terry Stotts essentially told Karl to STFU, which is the right response here. In other news, Karl says the NBA should connect players with financial advisors who can guarantee theyll never lose any money. Because those exist.
ORGANIC BEEF: In other Blazers news, heres a deep dive on the burgeoning beef between DeMarcus Cousins and Meyers Leonard. Portland has some weird beefs, man.
KUDOS: DeMar DeRozan is now the Raptors all-time leading scorer.
HMM: Donatas Motiejunas auditioned for the Lakers.
TWIN-ON-TWIN DUNK VIOLENCE!
CHANGES: Is Danilo Gallinari becoming a true power forward?
UH: NC State freshman Dennis Smith is a vicious dunker. Vicious.
SNEAKY ALL-STAR BALLOT TWEET!
NEXT UP: Your TNT doubleheader starts with Celtics-Cavaliers at 8 p.m. ET and ... well, you can turn off the TV after that. No one needs to see Mavericks-Lakers (10:30). Thunder-Grizz is the head-to-head League Pass competition for Cs-Cavs.
AND FINALLY: The sweetest fast break that totally didnt count.
Jim Henson vs Stan Lee. Epic Rap Battles of History. Season 4
It"s our annual look at reasons to love comics legend Stan Lee on his birthday...Enjoy!
Having spent most of his life working in and around comics, Lee has had an immeasurable impact on the industry, the art form and of course the commercial value of comics. We thought it could be fun to break down ninety-two reasons to love Stan--one for every year he"s been around--but just rattling off ninety-two memorable characters he had a hand in creating would be too easy. Rather, we wanted to divide it up into a few categories and get a bit of a cross section going.
(Photo: Twentieth Century Fox)
For the most part, we"ll just let these reasons stand on their own--it"s pretty obvious why "Spider-Man" is a reason to love Stan, after all...but we"ll explain some of them as we feel it"s needed or adds something. Excelsior!
Stan"s vast character library
1. Adam Warlock
2.Annihilus
3. Ant-Man
Whoever would have guessed thatAnt-Man would have overcome its pre-production obstacles and the character"s C-list stature to become a big hit with fans around the world?
Next up: a sequel to a movie a lot of people thought would be "Marvel"s first big miss."
4.Aunt May and Uncle Ben
The best parents in Marvel...aren"t actually parents.
5. The Avengers
6.BATROCTHE LEAPER
I"m sorry, but "Batrocthe Leaper" is up there alongside "Balloon Buster" for one of the great comic names of all time.Batrocmadehis Marvel Cinematic Universe debut inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
7. Black Panther
8. Black Widow
9. Captain Marvel
10. Chameleon
Even though Stan didn"t write it, one of our favorite Spider-Man stories -- ever -- is Paul Jenkins"s strange and heartfelt reinvention of the Chameleon as a desperate man looking to extend an olive branch to Peter -- the closest thing he has to a friend.
11. Daredevil
12. Dr. Doom
13. Dr. Strange
14. Falcon
15. Fantastic Four
16.H.E.R.B.I.E.Because who doesn"t love H.E.R.B.I.E.? Even if it"s ironically?
17. Fin FangFoom
18. FRANKLIN RICHARDSThe first of his kind, Franklin was the son of major, popular characters who headlined their own comic book all the way from prior to his conception through his birth and beyond.
We"re going to go ahead and say that the great stuff happening inSuperman andAction Comics right now with Jon Kent wouldn"t be happening if Franklin Richards hadn"t come along.
19.Galactus
20.GROOT
"I amGroot!" got an even bigger bump recently, withGuardians of the Galaxy becoming the biggest movie of 2014. There"smore to come in 2017, with a hugely-anticipated return to the big screen for the (still) little guy.
21. Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson
Whether intentional or not, Lee created one of the best love triangles in the history of comics, and two of the most beloved female characters in comics--almost certainly the two most popular Marvel women who don"t have powers.
22.Hawkeye
23. Human Torch
24. The Incredible Hulk
25.TheInhumans
The new X-Men of the Marvel Universe, a TV seriesof their owncoming soon (preceded by a 2-hour IMAX theatrical pilot), how long before TheInhumansare one of Stan"s best-known co-creations?
26.Kraventhe Hunter
27.Mephisto
28.MODOK
29. Nick Fury
30.S.H.I.E.L.D.
These guys are more significant than ever recently, asMarvel"sAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.has become a reliable source of ratings forABCon the previously-toxic Tuesday night.
31. Sharon Carter
32. Silver Surfer
33. Spider-Man
34.Stripperella
I mean--you"vegotto loveStripperella, right?
35. TheGovernator
There was a long period where almost everything Stan made could be enjoyed ironically. The Governator came right in the middle of that period.
36. TheInhumans
37.The Power of Myth
The Marvel Universe would be a decidedly different place today if Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hadn"t brought in dozens of characters they DIDN"T create--but reinvented to suit the Marvel Universe. Thor and his fellowAsgardians, Ares, Hercules and the rest are just the beginning--characters from mythology and public domain stories have always popped up in Marvel Comics, and usually enhance wherever they happen to be.
38.RAVAGE2099
Because...really.
At a time when he hadn"t written anything much new for Marvel in years, Lee came on board forRavage 2099, the only one of the 2099 launch titles that weren"t a reimagining of an existing character but an entirely new one created for the line.
39. Scarlet Witch
40. She-Hulk
41. TheSkrulls
42. The Watcher
43. Wonder Man
This looks like it"s going to be one of the best Marvel Easter eggs in a while, so let"s all sit and think for a while how cool of a character he is (even if we probably won"t ever REALLY see him in the movies).
44. X-Men
45. Cyclops
46. Jean Grey
47. Magneto
48. Professor X
49. Any number of supporting charactersFor years, Superheroes" supporting casts were little more than props, two-dimensional characters meant to put the hero into a situation to do hisheroingand little more. WithMarvel"scharacter-centric approach came dozens of supporting characters who were fascinating people in and of themselves, and who made us care what happened to them because they were PEOPLE, not just because it meant the hero had succeeded or failed.
50. J. Jonah Jameson
51. Jarvis
52. Virtually Every Villain You"ve Seen in a Movie
Stan had a hand in creating Magneto, Dr. Octopus, Green Goblin, The Sandman, Loki, The Mandarin and lots, lots more. The Marvel movies that are making billionsof dollars at the theaters might exist without Stan Lee...but it"s unlikely, and they"d have a distinctly different face if they did.
Stan the Writer:
53.The Shared Universe
It"s hard to imagine DC Comics or Marvel Comics at a time when there wasn"t a "shared universe" and continuity to worry about, but while characters often shared the pages together, there was no really coherent drive to make any kind of unified world ortimelineuntil Lee and Kirby did it with Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and The Avengers.
54.New York, New York
Grounding the Marvel Universe in New York City meant giving fans familiar scenery and places they could actually visit, rather than the more fanciful tradition of creating a fictional city for your hero to protect. It also made the city a very dangerous place to live, with all thosesupervillainshanging around.
55.Superheroes as Metaphor
At the time he and Jack Kirby started pursuing the "mutantkindas the oppressed people" metaphor, mainstream American comics were seen as disposable, popcorn entertainment for kids. Not really the perfect stage for the kind of story that would become so wildly popular later.
56.A Little Diversity
Ben Grimm was Jewish, and Peter Parker...well, he probably is, let"s be honest. Falcon and Black Panther are some of the first non-white superheroes to play a major role in American comics. And all of these characters are co-creations of Lee"s, at a time when the "default" creative setting was "white dude."
57.Just Imagine...
There"s something just absolutely bonkers about theJust Imagine Stan Lee Creating...comics, and we love it.
58.Marvel Style
Granted, it was done for convenience and speed, not for creative reasons, but "Marvel style" scripting--where the writer would plot out a story and then hand that off to the artist, scripting after he"d got the art back--changed the look of American comics forever.
59.Moral Ambiguity
Just look at the big debate between Xavier and Magneto; is there really a "clear" hero in that? It depends on who you ask. You don"t get that kind of nuance withLexLuthor.
60.The Tortured Hero
Nobody particularly liked Spider-Man or the X-Men;Spidey, in particular, was unpopular in both of his personae and living a very modest, often humiliating life as Peter Parker. This was nothing like Superman, whose gifts were celebrated, or Batman, whose wealth made Bruce Wayne"s life mostly a cakewalk.
61.Consequences
When Gwen Stacy died, she stayed dead. Ditto her dad and, for years, the Green Goblin. The concept that there were consequences for choosing to be a hero was one of the things that really enhanced the heroism. There can"t be true heroism without sacrifice, after all.
This isn"t a shot at contemporary storytelling, where reversing some of those decisions comes from a desire to enrich the history and continuity of books, but pointing out that such things really didn"texist in the pre-Marvel Age days when most superhero stories were one-and-done.
62.The Danger Room
One of the many great settings of the Marvel Universe, the Danger Room was a real revelation in its time. Likely informed by military boot camps, the room became a staple of X-Men storytelling.
Stan the Editor:
63.Branding
Stan Lee was the George Lucas of comic books; more than just about anybody he understood that these characters had value outside of the printed page, and he pursued it years before it was a viable thing.
64.The Bullpen
The celebrity culture of today"s comic book news and rumor sites can be traced back to Stan Lee"s original bullpen, with their silly nicknames and personalities projected to the outside world in print.
65.The Merry Marvel Marching Society
The first comicspodcastever, this was available for free to fan club members...on record.
66.Helping to save the superhero
It"s hard to imagine a world now where the superhero comic was nearly extinct in favor of other types of stories, but it was in no small part thanks to Lee and Jack Kirby that the superhero lived to fight another day after being nearly wiped out by FredericWertham.
67.How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
This is one of those books that every artist and aspiring artist had on their shelf for years.
68.If it works, steal it.
Stan Lee is pretty open about the fact that, following the success ofJustice League of Americaover at DC Comics, he learned from a DC editor how well it was doing and immediately set about gettingThe Avengersgoing at Marvel.
Obviously, the two fill very different roles in today"s comics marketplace, but back then the idea of creating a superhero team and slapping all of your biggest personalities in one book was a new one...but one so self-evidently good, Stan shamelessly took it and ran with it.
69.The lovably corny catch-phrases
Part of Stan"s persona for years has been his "Nuffsaid, Excelsior-type catch-phrases. They call back to an earlier era in comics, and they"re just so irrepressibly charming that you can"t think about how silly they are. It"s like billybatson"smagic word.
stan the man:
70.secret origin
stan lee started out as basically an intern, filling up ink bottles and bringing people coffee, before working his way into writing comics by first writing prose pieces as filler material and then finally writing some of the books themselves. Seems like it worked out for him.
71.His social media presence
Stan himself is a big hit on Twitter, withover one million followers, and his Stan LeeComikazeconventions also host aFacebookpage that provides hilarious, pop culture-inspiredmemesand jokes in addition to providing a social media presence for both Stan and the shows.
72.His Service in World War II
Stan Lee served in the Signalmen from 1942-1945, being one of only nine men classified as a "playwright."
73.The Comics Ambassador
Working with everyone fromRingoStarr to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee manages to make comics as mainstream a thing as can be. Even if a lot of those projects never materialize, or aren"t critically beloved, getting in front of more eyes and being seen in a number of different lights is good for the industry and the art form.
74.Still Working After All These Years
Try going to a major convention and NOT seeing Stan Lee. It"s difficult to do. Besides the fact that he"s still developing ideas for comics, TV shows and video games, and still appearing on TV and in the movies, he appears all over the country to discuss his creations and the future of comics. At 90.
75.His Arc Reactor
How did (then) 89-year-old Stan Lee react to getting a pacemaker? Bycomparing himself to Iron Man. This is like a Chuck Norris joke.
76. HIS CENTERFOLD SHOT
Because tell me that"s not hilarious.
77.He"s not afraid of the occasional crossover adventure
Just seethis tweetwithSmallvilleactress LauraVandervoort, for example.
78.He"s got a sense of humor about himself
Did you ever see the episode ofChuckwhere he played a buffoonish version of himself who was crushing on, and rebuffed by, GeneralBeckman? Hilarious.
You can watch itonNetflix...or just the cameo below.
79.He has absolutely no modesty whatsoever.
That might be clear from the centerfold there, but even above and beyond that, Stan has no problem doing something likeMallrats, where he just rattles off his accomplishments at the drop of a hat.
In a younger man, it may be brash andegomaniacal. At Stan"s age, it"s just cool.
80.He"s won every award in the world.
Not really, of course, but it sometimes seems like it. He"s got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and he"s been inducted into two separate comic book halls of fame.
How long until they give him an honorary Oscar for everything he"s done for Hollywood and all those movies he"s been in?
81.Working with the Hero Initiative
Stan Lee, JoeQuesadaand Kevin Smith released the Marvel: Then & Now DVD ages ago to benefit theHero Initiative...since then, it"s been one of Lee"s pet causes, providing for the needs of many of his onetime peers who didn"t do as well as he did financially. In fact, a few years ago he asked his 89th birthday presents to be"shifted" to Hero.
82.The Stan Lee Foundation
One of a number of charities that promotes literacy through comics, the Stan Lee Foundation supports programs and ideas that improve access to literacy resources, as well as promoting diversity, national literacy, culture and the arts.
83.Loose Lips that Launch Ships
Ever notice how often Stan Leesays something offhandin an interview or at a speaking appearance, and it turns out to be news that he didn"t know was still secret? We all have fun with that.
84.Forever Embracing Change
Stan Lee has been one of the first big names in comics to adopt things like digital comics andYouTube. Does it always work out for him? No, but he heads into his next venture undeterred, knowing he"s got a long history of success to fall back on.
85.Where"s Stan?
We love that you can play "Where"s Waldo?" with Stan Lee in just about every movie based on one of his characters.He"s even sometimes played cameos in things he didn"t create, like theChuckscene above, and is always commenting how he"d love to pop up in something like aBatmanorStar Warsmovie.
86.Stan Lee on Film
Lee has appeared as himself in dozens of movies and TV shows, including the Eric Roberts/James Earl Jones stinkerThe Ambulanceand even onBatman: The Animated Series.
87.He never stops smiling
In acting parlance, Stan Lee never, ever breaks character. Everywhere you see him, he"s always got a smile on his face and an "Excelsior!" on his lips. He"s been doing this for decades, and somehow he"s not tired yet.
88.He gets to hang out with America Young
And plenty of other awesome, young creative types...but Young, a personal favorite of the site, comes to mind because she workedwith him atStan Lee"s World of Heroes.
89.68 Years of Marriage
Stan recently celebrated sixty-eight years of marriage with his wife Joan. You think it"s impressive for a celebrity to stay married to the same person for so long? Lee says it"s easy; they"ve never had a fight. Joan has just had a long string of victories.
90.HisThe Wolverinecameo...
So Stan couldn"t make it intoThe Wolverine, but somebody in the props department made surehe was there in spirits...err, spirit. See what we did there?
91.Hooray forBollywood
For a guy who came up in the industry during the forties, fifties and sixties, he"s always been fairly open to diversity in the content of his books. Nowadays, he works on a number of international projects with non-white, non-Christian leads, many of which are being developed as feature films, novels, and other non-comics media around the world.
92.The best Stan Lee Cameo Is the One That"s Yet To Come
Last year, we saw Stan DJing at a strip club. What"s next? Who knows, but filming not one but several cameo appearances withGuardians of the Galaxy"s James Gunn? That"s gotta be good material.
93.Stan the Box
...which seems like a surprisingly awesome idea:
94.94 Years of Stan Lee
Yeah, that"s a little on-the-nose, isn"t it? Oh, well. It"s a good enough reason for us.
Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher"s mother, dead at 84
It was not immediately clear which of the scores of rebel groups scattered across Syria had agreed to the deal, which does not include Islamic State fighters.
A new normal in Chicago.
More than 750 people have been killed in the city this year, the police say, the highest total since 1997. Residents, primarily in African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods on the South and West Sides, fear that shootings have become a routine part of life.
We should be embarrassed as a city, one activist said.
The violence has made walking to and from school treacherous for many children. The citys Safe Passage program hopes to change that.
Inside Apple.
Our investigation into the worlds biggest iPhone factory, in Zhengzhou, China, revealed a hidden bounty of perks, tax breaks and subsidies. The operation shows how China not only provides a large pool of labor but also offers incentives that would be difficult to replicate in the U.S.
Photo Foxconn workers leaving after the end of a shift in Zhengzhou, China. The iPhone factory is central to the production of Apples most profitable product. Credit Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times
We also look at why an iPhone costs less in American stores than in Chinese shops.
A long-shot appeal.
Among our most popular articles this week is the case of Sam Siatta, a Marine Corps veteran of the war in Afghanistan who landed in prison after returning to Illinois.
He was so drunk at the time of the violent act that led to his conviction that he doesnt remember it. Our reporter, who also served in the Marines, visited Mr. Siatta in prison and spent time with him in the months since his release this year.
Health roundup.
Its essentially the serial killer of drugs. Thats an addiction counselors take on Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be 100 times more potent than morphine and that now causes more deaths in some parts of the U.S. than heroin.
A new study found that women who took fish oil in the last trimester of pregnancy significantly lowered the risk that their children developed asthma.
Photo Ed Whitlock completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 3 hours 56 minutes 34 seconds to become the oldest person to run 26.2 miles in less than four hours. Credit Marta Iwanek/Waterloo Region Record
Finally, scientists are reassessing the possibilities of aging and performance thanks, in part, to an 85-year-old who recently finished a marathon in under four hours.
Business
Cable news channels looked as if they were fading two years ago. But 2016 proved to be a banner year for the networks, largely because of the presidential race.
The numbers werent as good, though, for cable TV giants like Discovery, ESPN and TBS.
The chief executive of a Japanese ad agency is resigning to take responsibility for the suicide of a young employee last year.
She was working more than 100 hours of overtime a month, according to an inquiry, much of it unreported and unpaid.
Insomnia and other sleep disorders are said to affect 50 million to 70 million Americans, causing a litany of health problems as well as billions of dollars in lost productivity.
Technology companies are developing alternatives to sleeping pills, which can be addictive.
U.S. stocks were down on Wednesday. Heres a snapshot of global markets.
Noteworthy
In memoriam.
Debbie Reynolds, the Hollywood star known for the 1952 musical Singin in the Rain, died at 84, a day after the death of her daughter, the actress Carrie Fisher.
Photo Debbie Reynolds with her daughter, the actress Carrie Fisher, in 2015. Ms. Reynolds died after suffering a stroke on Wednesday, a day after the death of Ms. Fisher. Credit Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America
Shes now with Carrie and were all heartbroken, her son said. Heres a look at six movies for which Ms. Reynolds will be remembered.
Revisiting an atrocity.
More than 100 years after a genocide of the Herero people in Namibia, Germany is acknowledging its role. In our latest 360 video, a Herero elder recounts a story he heard from his forefathers.
Video Its True, the Germans Killed Us
More than 100 years after a genocide of the Herero people in Namibia, Germany is acknowledging its role. Listen to a Herero elder recounting the story he heard from his forefathers.
By ALEXIA WEBSTER, VEDA SHASTRI and TIM CHAFFEE on Publish Date December 29, 2016. Photo by Joao Silva/The New York Times. Technology by Samsung.. Watch in Times Video
Backlash after beach bash.
The City Council of a Sydney suburb banned alcohol on the beach for the rest of the summer after more than 10,000 people trashed Coogee Beach on Christmas Day.
Revelers were so drunk that oxygen tanks were needed to resuscitate some partygoers and that a shark alarm was set off three times to get intoxicated swimmers out of the water, according to an official. They also left behind 16 tons of garbage.
Video A Sydney Resident Shows Beach Trashed By Revelers
Cyn Coco said she filled more than a dozen garbage bags with trash after thousands of Christmas revelers in Australia celebrated on suburban Coogee Beach.
By CYN COCO, VIA FACEBOOK on Publish Date December 28, 2016. Photo by David Gray/Reuters. Watch in Times Video
Recipe of the day.
Couscous doesnt have to be boring. Jazz it up with sauted cherry tomatoes and basil.
Back Story
In case you missed it, a bit of music history was made this year.
The Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen song by the Japanese comedian Kazuhito Kosaka went from YouTube to a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. At 45 seconds, its the shortest song to ever appear on the list.
Photo The Japanese comedian Kazuhito Kosaka, known as Pikotaro, went from YouTube to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Credit Unioncom/VCG, via Getty Images
And the video has been watched more than 104 million times since its release this summer.
The lyrics, while not likely to win the artist a Nobel Prize in Literature, proved to be catchy: I have a pen, I have a apple. Uh! Apple pen! Many imitations have appeared online over the last months, including one by late-night host Stephen Colbert.
Asked what his favorite version was, Mr. Kosaka, who is better known by his stage name Pikotaro, said it was one from India.
But there is one thing I need to say: There is someone who in one of the videos actually stabs an apple with a pen, he said. Thats a waste.
Mr. Kosaka is relishing his newfound popularity, but hes wary of becoming a one-hit wonder. Hes working on new music, but this time about citrus fruits.
Patrick Boehler contributed reporting.
_____
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CNN anchor CHOKES UP with announcement of Carrie Fisher"s death Photo Carrie Fisher in 1987. Credit Catherine McGann/Getty Images
Oh, Carrie Fisher, gone way too soon. And now your mother, Debbie Reynolds. The startling loss this week of one of Hollywoods great mother-daughter pairs was another blow in an unnerving year. You could call it a Hollywood ending, if by that you mean one that is larger and weirder than real life, and that tugs mightily at strong emotions.
A suggestion to grieving admirers: Make time for another viewing of Singin in the Rain, made when Ms. Reynolds was 19. Watch her becoming a star, easily holding her own against two older leading men.
But even though Ms. Fisher pulled off a strikingly similar feat making an immortal movie at 19, with two male stars there is a better way to honor her than by revisiting Star Wars.
Read her books. They are works where misery and brilliance commingle with wit, the creations of an actual person who had many layers and is worth getting to know, as opposed to Princess Leia, who has none and is not.
Anyone could have predicted that a little girl whose mom and dad were Ms. Reynolds and Eddie Fisher would grow up with an abundance of, lets call them issues, and that these might lead to a life involving alcohol and drugs, and detox and rehab. All of which happened to Ms. Fisher, in profusion.
But who would have predicted that this product of Hollywood inbreeding (she called herself that) would have turned celebrity family dysfunction into such memorable writing? Her semi-autobiographical novel Postcards From the Edge, and memoirs like Wishful Drinking and Shockaholic, are hilarious, bluntly beautiful and deserve as much lasting recognition as her contributions to Star Wars.
You could liken Ms. Fisher to Dorothy Parker, and many have, though Parkers work seems musty in comparison to Ms. Fishers, which hits like a fresh slap of weirdness. When she wrote about depression and addiction, she had a humaneness and directness that feel honest.
When she turned to shock therapy, it punched the dark lights out of my depression, she wrote. Your whole life you hear about this terrifying treatment that turns you into a vegetable, only to finally find out that it had all the charming qualities of no big deal. Sort of like getting your nails done, if your nails were in your cerebral cortex.
Let others remember Ms. Fisher for her outer-space hairdos and wisecracks that were George Lucass dim idea of witty (Would somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?). Heres to what she created on her own: her idiosyncratic way of writing about how she struggled with her mind, her memory, her weight.
What I didnt realize, back when I was this twenty-five-year-old pinup for geeks in that me myself and iconic metal bikini, was that I had signed an invisible contract to stay looking the exact same way for the next thirty to forty years. Well, clearly Ive broken that contract.
Heres to her dispatches from a fisher-priceless family life: my mother, who incidentally lives next door to me, she calls me to this day and says, Hello, dear, this is your mother, Debbie. (As opposed to my mother Vladimir or Jean-Jacques.)
And heres to her honesty: I heard someone once say were only as sick as our secrets, Ms. Fisher wrote in Wishful Drinking. If thats true, then this book will go a long way to rendering me amazingly well.
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wayfair (NYSE:W), one of the worlds largest online destinations for home furnishings and dcor, today announced an all new collaboration with HGTV for the 21st annual HGTV Dream Home. For the first time, Wayfair will provide all of the furnishings and dcor to perfect the 3,200-square-foot home located on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Originally built in 1984, the property was remodeled by a highly-skilled team including interior design expert Brian Patrick Flynn, who selected 400 pieces from Wayfairs extensive catalog of more than 7 million products to transform the space. HGTV will reveal the renovation in online photo galleries and virtual tours on December 1, 2016 at HGTV.com/HGTVDreamHome and during the premiere of the network special on January 1, 2017.
As a longtime partner of Scripps Networks, were thrilled to collaborate for the first time on an HGTV Dream Home, said Nancy Go, vice president of brand marketing, Wayfair. Our comprehensive selection of furniture and dcor made us the right partner to not only achieve a beautiful aesthetic, but also showcase many unique styles throughout the home that represent something for everyone.
Decorated with formal statement pieces, casual textiles and modern artall available on Wayfair.com the three-bedroom, four-bathroom open-concept home boasts impeccably decorated spaces that wont disappoint.
The elegant foyer opens to a traditional living room adorned with soothing earth tones and crisp bright whites, creating a refreshing setting for entertaining guests, or simply relaxing. Next to the living area is the tastefully designed kitchen featuring charcoal gray cabinets and quartz countertops, stainless appliances, and an island complete with on-trend industrial stools. The master bedroom, decorated with timeless coastal dcor in shades of deep navy and white, looks out onto an expansive pool terrace where tranquil lakefront views can be seen. Other home amenities include a gym, outdoor fire pit and a spacious garage with ample storage.
With the help of Wayfair, we were able to seamlessly execute the final stage of the HGTV Dream Home 2017, by selecting furniture and decor that matches the distinct style of each room, said Brian Patrick Flynn, interior designer, HGTV. Using a mix of vibrant shades and textures, we were able to create a feel that embodies stylish Southern hospitality thatll make anyone who steps inside feel right at home.
To preview the HGTV Dream Home 2017, visit: HGTV.com/HGTVDreamHome. Home enthusiasts can watch the Behind-the-Build Special premiering at 11 p.m. ET on December 28, 2016 on DIY Network. The full reveal will air on HGTV on Sunday, January 1 at 8 p.m. ET. Viewers can shop the look at www.wayfair.com/hgtvdreamhome and follow along on social with #HGTVDreamHome.
The HGTV Dream Home 2017 Giveaway opens for entries on December 28, 2016 and runs through February 17, 2017. Official rules and eligibility are available here: HGTV.com/HGTVDreamHome.
No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the U.S., age 21 or older. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes starts at 9 a.m. ET on 12/28/16 and ends at 5 p.m. ET on 2/17/17. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. For full official rules, visit www.HGTV.com or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2017 P.O. Box 52915, Knoxville, TN 37950. Main Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC d/b/a Home & Garden Television.
About Wayfair
Wayfair Inc. offers an extensive selection of home furnishings and dcor across all styles and price points. The Wayfair family of brands includes:
Wayfair, an online destination for all things home
Joss & Main, where beautiful furniture and finds meet irresistible savings
AllModern, a go-to online source making modern design more accessible
DwellStudio, a design house with a decidedly modern vibe
Birch Lane, a collection of classic furnishings and timeless home dcor
Wayfair generated $3.14 billion in net revenue for the twelve months ended September30, 2016. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout North America and Europe, the company employs more than 5,600 people.
