Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Vikings stopped cold by Seahawks in a frigid Minneapolis


The Weather Ball Song - Northwestern National Bank Minneapolis

The temperature at kickoff at TFC Bank Stadium was -6 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -25. That made the game the coldest one in Vikings" history and tying for the third-coldest playoff game in NFL history.

Hand warmers at entry gates and free coffee for fans were provided before the game.

Mariucci Arena, where the University of Minnesota"s men"s hockey team plays, was opened as a warming house three hours before kickoff.

As for the game, the Seahawks escaped with a 10-9 win after Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed the chip shot, a 27-yard field goal that would have given Minnesota a 12-10 lead with 22 seconds remaining.

Seattle trailed 9-0 heading into the fourth quarter before taking a 10-9 lead midway through the fourth.

The Seahawks, who have won six straight road games, advance to the NFC Divisional round where they"ll face the Carolina Panthers (15-1) in Charlotte next Sunday. Carolina defeated Seattle 27-23 on the road on October 18.

Did the subzero temperatures play a factor?

Walsh said, "It"s all the same. That field is what it is. We"ve done such a good job of mastering it all year on field goals. I picked a h**l of a time to have one that I missed for the first time. The whole thing is on me, and I accept that. It"s shameful. I have to do better."

Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said "it really wasn"t a factor at all. We were warm for the most part especially on the sidelines with the heated benches. You go out on the field. It"s all a mental thing. It did not affect us at all."

"It was all good until my eyelashes froze," said Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, "then you kind of realize it might be kind of cold out here. I went out to warm up before everybody came out and took a jog. My contact lenses almost froze over. You can"t ever prepare for that kind of weather or that kind of cold because it"s like sitting in the freezer. "

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said, "Usually when you go to games like that and the weather is like that, a lot of people are thinking about the weather. And for us not to be thinking about the weather and mostly winning the game. It says a lot about our team."

Coach has warm shout-out for the fans

Even with the loss, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer applauded the Vikings faithful.

"I thought the fans were outstanding. They sat in the coldest game in Vikings history and were loud. I thought they did a great job."

Minnesota played their first outdoor home playoff game since the 1976 NFC Championship when they beat the Los Angeles Rams to advance to Super Bowl XI. Renowned Vikings coach Bud Grant, 88, was the honorary captain for Sunday"s game and wasn"t fazed by the big chill as he donned short sleeves for the coin toss.

The Vikings previous coldest game for temperature and wind chill occurred on December 3, 1972, against the Chicago Bears. The temperature was minus -2 degrees, with a wind chill of -19 degrees.

The coldest game of all-time was the classic "Ice Bowl" on December 31, 1967, between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers for the NFL championship. It was -13 degrees with the wind chill of 48 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that.

Cold week ahead

A stoic lot in the face of winter, Minnesotans of all stripes will have plenty to test their resolve this week.

The highest temperature in the seven-day forecast for Minneapolis is 21 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Light snow is also expected this week.

At 6 p.m. CT Sunday, the temperature in Minneapolis was -3 degrees. Not to be outdone, the temperature at International Falls, near the border with Canada, was -7 degrees. The low in the "Nation"s Icebox" is expected to dip to -19 degrees overnight.

Such cold temperatures call for innovation. On Twitter, a photo of beers being heated up on the edge of a grill was posted.

CNN"s Forrest Brown contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/10/us/minnesota-vikings-seattle-seahawks-football-cold/

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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Why Kris Jenner Still Feels Guilty About the Death of Nicole Brown Simpson


1994: Nicole Brown Simpson"s body removed

By Ron Galella/Getty Images.

And what Jenner hopes the new FX series will accomplish for women.

Even those who kept up religiously with the 19941995 trial of O.J. Simpson would be forgiven for not remembering the role Kris Jenner and her famous daughtersKhlo, Kim, and Kourtneyplayed. Jenner and the victim, Nicole Brown Simpson, had been friends since Kris was 17. But at the time, it was her ex-husband Robert who was the most famous Kardashian. Things have obviously changed since then, and the new FX series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson makes sure viewers dont forget how one of Americas most famous families was embroiled in the trial of the century. Jenner is played with a righteous grief and fury by Selma Blair and the character doesnt hold back her thoughts on both the trial and Simpsons guilt. Speaking with People, the real-life Kardashian matriarch reveals her greatest hope for what the new series will accomplish.

I went to bed one night and I woke up the next morning and my entire universe had changed, Jenner describes learning about the death of her friend Nicole. They were two of the best friends I ever had in my entire life. They were my family. O.J. was like my big brother. So I not only mourned the loss of Nicole, but I mourned the loss of O.J. and that relationship.

Jenner doesnt talk specifics about the series or about Blairs portrayal. (Though we know she may have already watched an episode or two.) But Kris had a very clear sense of what she hopes comes out of the nation once again obsessing over O.J. and Nicole.

Domestic violence is a real tragedy in our lives, says Jenner referring to the fact that Nicole Simpson reported O.J. to the police at least nine times before her murder. [Nicoles death] could have been prevented. I have five daughters so of course I want women everywhere, especially women of this new generation, to know the story. They need to realize that they have a voice and they need to tell somebody if someone has hurt them.

One of the more harrowing moments of The People v. O.J. Simpson comes courtesy of a recording of a disturbing 911 call Nicole made. In real life, the prosecution played the tape of Nicole pleading for help and O.J. yelling in the background as part of their opening remarks. Jenner says:

I saw all the pictures and the police reports and I heard tapes ofNicole calling 911 [after she was abused by O.J.]. That was stuff Ididnt know anything about. I beat myself up because I felt like Iwasnt paying attention. Like, how did I miss this? But thats typicalin an abusive relationshipthat the woman doesnt speak out abouthow shes being treated.

Jenner says she still carries guilt over Nicoles abuse. My heart breaks because of all the pain and suffering she went through. I wish I had noticed the signs. She was fighting for her life many days I"m sure. I try to pay attention to things more now. I follow my intuition.Its interesting to consider how the trial would have played out in 2016 when our attitudes towards domestic violenceparticularly as they pertain to high-profile athletesare a little different. Jenner explains, If Nicoles legacy can be protecting other women, then that would be a really positive thing.

Source: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/kris-jenner-nicole-brown-simpson-death-oj-domestic-violence

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House Of Fraser mocked over "Emojinal" campaign with Harry Styles and Gigi Hadid


Harry Styles can"t find his car at LAX, mobbed by paparazzi & fans

House Of Fraser has been ridiculed on Twitter after it tweeted an "Emojinal" campaign featuring high-profile celebrities - with people questioning whether the brand"s social media had been hacked.

The Photoshopped images included Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner with a chicken emoji and a photo of Harry Styles and One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson celebrating the singer"s birthday with balloon, presents and a crown emoji.

But the social media drive has left many of the brand"s 306,000 followers confused - with one Twitter user claiming the person in charge of its Twitter must have "entrusted a 12-year-old with the password".

House Of Fraser"s "Emojinal" campaign tweeted photoshopped images of celebrities, it celebrated Harry Styles" birthday with balloon, presents and a crown emoji with One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson

In another image, it tweeted a photoshopped picture of Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner with a chicken emoji, captioned the "chicks were out on the town" but it left many of the brand"s 306,000 followers wondering if the account had been hacked

House of Fraser started the campaign with a picture of Kim Kardashian, 35, with husband Kanye West and a large image of a peach over her posterior with the caption "Practice what you peach."

But many of the brand"s fans were left confused, with Andy Walters writing: "Have you been hacked?"

The shop wasn"t phased and continued to post the emoji-filled photos at random, from models Gigi Hadid, 20, and Kendall Jenner, 20, in a taxi with an emoji chicken, captioned: "Gigi Hadid and her chicks were out on the town this weekend."

And a happy birthday message to Harry Styles who turned 22 yesterday also featured plenty of present emojis and a crown on the birthday boy.

But overwhelmingly the reaction was negative. Holly Brockwell tweeted: "Emojinal is a masterclass on how to ruin a century-old upscale brand with one terrible social media campaign."

@Le_Petit_Cochon wrote on Twitter: "The person running the House Of Fraser Twitter account has entrusted a 12-year-old with the password. Make it stop."

The first image of the campaign showed Kim Kardashian-West with a large peach over her derriere and tweeted to her husband Kanye West

Twitter users seemed to think something had gone wrong with the account or it had been hacked while Holly Brockwell thought it had "ruined" the brand

While Emily Peacock wasn"t sure if the shop"s account had been hacked.

She posted: "If not - eek! Not classy guys."

And Jason Dexter had equally harsh words for the brand. He posted: "What"s worse? Someone pitched Emojinal or someone approved it."

And Neil Langridge even thought the shop would claim to have been hacked to explain the bizarre tweets.

He wrote: "What a mess the Emojinal campaign is. The inevitable "we got hacked" is not an excuse but has become default for a huge screw up."

But not everyone was a critic, Aaran Shardey posted he was a fan of the campaign.

Mixed reactions: Majority of tweeters were unimpressed and called the campaign a "mess" but one loved the new twist

Roxanne Parker used an image of Harry Styles with many unhappy emojis around him which the store had tweeted as part of the campaign to describe how "everyone" felt about it

And another of the brand"s tweets had Harry Styles with his head in his hands with plenty of shocked and devasted emojis around him.

Roxanne Parker tweeted the image and captioned: "The ironic use of House Of Fraser"s own campaign imagery to describe everyone"s reaction to their Emojinal PR stunt."

A spokesperson for the shop told City AM: "We wanted to try something less traditional for Valentine"s Day this year in order to engage with a younger audience."

The site has also devised an emoji-based quiz which wins shoppers 10 per cent off their purchases.

It"s not the first time the store, which was founded in 1849, has tried to modernise its image.

For the store"s Christmas advert last year, its offering looked more like a music video.

The store"s campaign, which was called "Your Christmas Your Rules", aimed to offer a refreshing antidote to the festive fuzzy norm.

FEMAIL has contacted House Of Fraser for comment.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3427820/House-Fraser-ridiculed-Emojinal-campaign-featuring-Harry-Styles-Gigi-Hadid.html

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Harriet Tubman Birthday: 5 Facts To Celebrate The Famed Abolitionist


Quest For Freedom Pt 1 Harriet Tubman

Every Jan. 29, the United States celebrates the birth of Harriet Tubman, the African-American abolitionist born into slavery who helped guide hundreds of slaves out of the Southto freedom in the North. Born in 1820 as Araminta Harriet Ross, she escaped slavery in 1849 and becamea guide along the Underground Railroad, reportedly making 19 rescue missions.

After serving as a spy for the Union Army during the U.S. Civil war, she died of pneumonia in 1913. On the celebration of her birth, here are a couple of facts you may not have known about the abolitionist leader, compiled from PBS, Mental Floss, the Harriet Tubman Historical Society and History.com.

1) She was nicknamed Moses

While taking slaves to freedom, some called her Moses, in reference to the biblical prophet who led the Israelite slaves out of Egypt. During her trips along the Underground Railroad, she allegedly never lost a single passenger.

2) A high bounty

Even though she lived in the North, Tubman was still a fugitive slave, meaning if she were caught she could have been put back into slavery. A high bounty was placed on her, but she would apparently start her rescues on Saturday so she and the escaped slaves could have the full weekend before newspapers ran the ads for her bounty in the Monday editions.

3) Tubman and the womens rights movement

Tubman not only advocated for the abolition of slavery, but also for womens rights when it was still highly controversial. While she couldnt read, she still gave speeches on her experiences as a woman slave.

Harriet Tubman, conductor of #UndergroundRailroad: I never ran my train off the track & I never lost a passenger. pic.twitter.com/GwRJHDQ1mh

4) She was a spy for the Union

Tubman notoriously didnt have many distinctive features she was short and had several teeth missing which helped her as a spy and a scout for Col. James Montgomery. She passed undetected into enemy territory to collect information, but still had to pay her own way through her time in the war by selling pies and root beer.

5) She had her own way to keep crying children from giving away the escaped slave parties

Trying to travel across enemy territory quietly can be hard enough with adults, but Tubman often had to worry about tired, and worse, crying children. Worried a crying child would give away their location, Tubman would sometimes drug the children with opium, easily found at the time.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/harriet-tubman-birthday-5-facts-celebrate-famed-abolitionist-2283040

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Group Backing Chris Christie Criticizes John Kasich for Lehman Brother Ties


Chris Christie: #TellingItLikeItIs Town Hall in Dubuque, IA
10:03 pm ET10:03 pm ETNick Corasaniti and Alexander Burns

Donald J. Trump has criticized Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio at numerous debates, including for his tenure as a managing general partner at a bank that was central to the financial crisis.

Now, America Leads, the super PAC supporting Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is putting some money behind Mr. Trumps accusations in a withering attack ad aimed at Mr. Kasich.

It begins with Mr. Kasich saying I was a banker and I was proud of it, before cutting to Mr. Trumps criticism, and rifling through Mr. Kasichs record as both a congressman and a businessman, accusing him of profiting off the financial crisis while a partner at Lehman Brothers.

The negative ad comes as Mr. Kasich and Mr. Christie, both far behind Mr. Trump, are locked in a tight battle for fourth place and a strong showing in New Hampshire, and are pursuing a similar subset of voters.

But Mr. Christie and Mr. Kasich do not typically go after each other on the stump. On the contrary, Mr. Christie has trained his fire mainly on Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and said last week in a radio interview that he considered Mr. Kasich a very good governor. (He added that he viewed himself as a better one.)

Mr. Kasich, meanwhile, has refrained from attacking any of his opponents in his campaign events, though a super PAC supporting his campaign has done so with paid advertising.

But if Mr. Christie has held back against Mr. Kasich, the outside group supporting Mr. Christies candidacy has increasingly shifted into attack mode. Even before the anti-Kasich ads began running, America Leads was sending mail to New Hampshire voters branding Mr. Kasich as a tax hiker.

No amount of New Jersey bullying and false attacks by Chris Christies cronies will hide Christies own failures of credit downgrades and budget deficits, said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesperson for the Kasich campaign. As a result over 60 percent of the voters that know Christie best dont approve of him. In ohio John kasich turned an $8 billion budget hole into a $2 billion surplus, saw Ohios credit outlook improve, and cut a record amount of taxes. As a result over 60 percent of voters approve of him in the most important of all swing states.

The Lehman Brothers attack may be a particularly raw one for Mr. Kasich. Democrats used his affiliation with the failed bank to brand him, during his campaign for governor in 2010, as a congressman from Wall Street.

Mr. Kasich has attempted to minimize his Lehman connection, joking about his tenure at the bank in campaign speeches. (He did not repeat the joke in a handful of campaign events a reporter attended over the weekend.)

Tucker Martin, a spokesperson for America Leads, said the ad was in response to an escalation in attacks from the Kasich team.

The Kasich team has spent well over a month attacking Governor Christie, he said. All were doing is noting a vote Governor Kasich took, and a job he held. Its simply another part of his bio and his record, presented to voters for their consideration.

New Day for America, the super PAC supporting Mr. Kasich, aired an ad last year pointing to deficits in New Jersey, but never mentioning Mr. Christie by name.

Governor Christie should either disavow the ad or have he courage to repeat Trumps attack himself, said Matt David, a spokesperson for the group.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/31/group-backing-chris-christie-criticizes-john-kasich-for-lehman-brother-ties/

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Why Clinton"s apparent Iowa win feels more like a loss


Hillary Clinton"s Campaign Taps Into Supporters" Enthusiasm | MSNBC

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the days most important political stories and why they matter.

This story has been updated to reflect results with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

Why Clintons apparent win feels more like a loss

Who knew that Donald Trumps defeat last night in Iowa would be only the SECOND-most dramatic story of the evening? The most dramatic one was the announcement by NBC News, just before 4:00 am ET, declaring Hillary Clinton the apparent winner on the Democratic side, with Clinton getting 699.57 state delegate equivalents to Bernie Sanders 695.49, with 2.28 still outstanding. (Now with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton has been awarded700.59state delegate equivalents to Sanders 696.82.)Yes, a win is a win for the Clinton campaign. And yes, that razor-thin margin points to Sanders limitations in states other than Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont. But there are three reasons why this apparent victory for Clinton feels more like a loss. One, theres already controversy, with the Sanders camp alleging that due to Iowa Democratic Party mismanagement, reports were late coming in from about 90 precincts, per NBCs Danny Freeman. And in an interview with NBCs Kasie Hunt, Sanders didnt rule out challenging the results. Two, winning essentially by one vote (err, five state delegate equivalents) instead of 1 percentage point, denied Clinton the opportunity to use ANY win as momentum heading into New Hampshire, where Sanders enjoys a sizable lead. And three, if you dont want to take our word for it, heres the attitude inside Clinton Land. Clinton advisers said they did not know if a significant staff shakeup was at hand, but they said that the Clintons were disappointed with Monday nights result and wanted to ensure that her organization, political messaging and communications strategy were in better shape for the contests to come, theNew York Times writes.

But that doesnt mean that Sanders apparent loss is a win

You have to give the Sanders campaign a lot of credit: Its revolution turned more than anyone had expected. (Turnout according to the state party was 171,109 not the nearly 240,000 from 2008, but certainly more than the 124,000 from 2004). But we stand by what we wrote yesterday: If Sanders is going to win the Democratic nomination, he needed a clear win, a la Barack Obama, to transform the races in more diverse states like South Carolina, where an NBC/WSJ/Marist poll last week found Clinton ahead, 64%-27%. Essentially tying Clinton in Iowa a very white and very liberal state points to Sanders ceiling in states outside of New Hampshire and Vermont. And that wont be good enough, especially with Clintons expected superdelegate advantage. As the late (and great) Darrell Royal used to say, a tie is like kissing your sister. And thats the reality this morning for both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns.

Lets get ready for the first one-on-one Democratic debate Thursday!

And what is better than just having a virtual tie in Iowa on the Democratic side? How about the first one-on-one debate between Clinton and Sanders on Thursday night that will be moderated by NBCs Chuck Todd and MSNBCs Rachel Maddow in Durham, NH? (Martin OMalley, the third Democrat in the race, dropped out last night.) By the way, look at these fascinating divides from the exit polls:

  • Clinton won among Democrats, 56%-39%
  • Sanders won among independents, 69%-26%
  • Sanders won among very liberal, 58%-39%
  • Clinton won among somewhat liberals, 50-44%, and moderates, 58%-35%
  • Clinton won among past caucus-goers, 59%-35%
  • Sanders won among first-time caucus-goers, 59%-37%
  • Sanders won among those ages 17-29, 84%-14%
  • Clinton won among those 65 and older, 69%-26%

Cruz took a punch from Trump, others and won

Turning to the Republican results out of Iowa, the pressure was on Cruz to win, and he passed the test, proving the polls and pundits wrong by defeating Trump. More than anything else, Cruz took punches from Trump (on the birther issue), from the states Republican governor (on ethanol), and from the news media and pundits (on his debate performance, his poll position). And guess what he won. It proves that Cruz is resilient, and hes punched his ticket into the future rounds.

Photos from the Iowa campaign trail

As Iowans prepare to cast the first votes of the 2016 presidential election, Democrat and Republican candidates have been blanketing the state.

Pressures now on Trump (to finish first in New Hampshire)

And so now the pressure is on Trump to even the score in New Hampshire, where he has enjoyed a sizable lead in the polls. Well give Trump this: He was bold trying to win a state where evangelicals and conservative Republicans usually dominate all in an effort to run the table in the first two contests. But theres a big danger for the candidate whose brand is all about winning to fall to second place in the first nominating race. And so next weeks New Hampshire primary is key for him. Our questions: How does he campaign this week? How does he fix his organizational deficiencies? And who, exactly, does he target on the GOP side?

Pressures now on Rubio (to get second in New Hampshire)

The question for Marco Rubio heading into last night was if hed have a strong third-place finish (or maybe even second place), or if it would be more of a disappointing third. Well, it was the former, with Rubio just one percentage point behind Trump - Cruz 28%, Trump 24%, Rubio 23%. While were not going to treat Rubios third-place finish as a victory, it does position him well in the upcoming states. And it puts pressure on him to finish second in New Hampshire, which would truly make him the establishment alternative in the field.

Your three-way GOP race?

By the way, the exit polls maybe revealed your three-way GOP race over the next couple of months. Cruz won among VERY conservatives - 44% to 21% for Trump and 15% for Rubio; Rubio won among SOMEWHAT conservatives - 29% to Trumps 24% and Cruzs 19%; and Trump won among MODERATES - 34%, to Rubios 28% and Cruzs 9%.

The public polls were wrong, especially on the Republican side

Finally, as you know, we love everything about polls at First Read. So we have to admit that last nights polls, especially on the Republican side, were wrong including from the gold standard Des Moines Register. Indeed, the last eight Iowa polls that meet our standards all had Trump in the lead. But he finished second. We all have some explaining to do.

Countdown to NBC/MSNBC debate in New Hampshire: 2 days

Countdown to New Hampshire: 7 days

This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/why-clintons-apparent-iowa-win-feels-more-loss

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Trevor Noah inaugurates Black History Month version of The Daily Show


Stacey Dash: No More Black History Month | The View

In the months since he took overThe Daily Showfrom Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah has demonstrated a sharp eye for covering racial issues. After recently savaging the casting of Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson, Noah and his team of correspondents have decided to go all in on Black History Month. Noahs conceit: a flashblack to how The Daily Showmightve looked on Feb. 1, 1965, amonth before Dr. Martin Luther KingJr.s famous march to Selma.

At that time, King and some allies had just been arrested for parading without a permit, and Noah turned to his historical correspondent (our junior civil rights correspondent, Roy WoodSr.)to explain.

WANT MORE?Keep up with all the latest late-night coverage by subscribing to our newsletter. Head here for more details.

I saw a lot of bulls, Trevor. Proud Negro men and women being arrested for no reason. Im sorry, did the Klan fill out their paperwork before marching in my neighborhood? When have you ever seen white people arrested for parading without a permit?

Watch the full clip below.

Source: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/02/trevor-noah-black-history-month-daily-show

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