Game 2 preview: Will Warriors" Kevin Durant play vs. Blazers?

Stephen Curry talks about playing without Kevin Durant for Game 2 vs Trail Blazers

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

Kevin Durant (35) high-fives fans after an NBA playoffs game between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trailblazers in Oakland, California, on Sunday, April 16, 2017.Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trailblazers 121-109. less Kevin Durant (35) high-fives fans after an NBA playoffs game between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trailblazers in Oakland, California, on Sunday, April 16, 2017.Golden State Warriors defeated the ... more Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

Game 2 preview: Will Warriors Kevin Durant play vs. Blazers?

Warriors vs. Trail Blazers

Game 2, first round

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland

Coaches: Steve Kerr, 3rd season with Warriors (207-39 with Warriors and overall); Terry Stotts, 5th season with Blazers (223-187 with Blazers and 338-355 overall)

On air: TV on TNT, NBC Sports Bay Area; Radio on 95.7 The Game

Records: Warriors (67-15, 1-0); Blazers (41-41, 0-1)

Projected starters: Warriors: PG Stephen Curry (29.0 ppg, 4.0 apg), SG Klay Thompson (15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg), SF Kevin Durant (32.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg), PF Draymond Green (19.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 9.0 apg), C Zaza Pachulia (4.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)

Blazers: PG Damian Lillard (34.0 ppg, 3.0 apg), SG C.J. McCollum (41.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg), SF Evan Turner (12.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg), PF Maurice Harkless (11.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg), C Noah Vonleh (2.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Warriors injury report: SF Matt Barnes (right ankle sprain), SF Kevin Durant (left calf strain) and PG Shaun Livingston (right index finger sprain) are questionable. SF Kevon Looney (left hip strain) is out.

Blazers injury report: C Jusuf Nurkic (right leg), PF Ed Davis (left shoulder) and C Festus Ezeli (left knee) are out.

Betting line: Warriors by 13.5 points

Things to watch:

>> Will Kevin Durant play? The eight-time All-Stars official designation of questionable suggests that he has a 50 percent chance of playing in Game 2. After re-evaluating him during shoot-around Wednesday, the Warriors training staff will determine whether he should be available. Odds are that, if Durant is even experiencing slight pain, he will sit. Ensuring he is healthy for the rest of the playoffs is far more important than Wednesdays result. If Durant is ruled out, itll be intriguing to see who fills his minutes. Matt Barnes and Shaun Livingston are also qestionable, and Kevon Looney is out.

>> Will Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum get any help? Portlands backcourt duo did all that could be expected of them in Game 1, totaling 75 points on 28-for-54 (51.6 percent) shooting. As for their teammates? They mustered a combined 34 points on 12-for-39 (30.1 percent) shooting. It is no surprise that, when Lillard and McCollum began to tire in the fourth quarter, the Warriors ran away for a convincing win. With Jusuf Nurkic ruled out again, a supporting cast that includes Allen Crabbe, Evan Turner, Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu will need to shoulder a heavier load Wednesday for the Blazers to have a shot at stealing the victory.

>> Can Klay Thompson bounce back from a rough Game 1? One of the few warts in Sundays win over the Blazers was the three-time All-Stars performance. In addition to going 6-for-16 from the field and 1-for-6 from three-point range, Thompson struggled against Lillard and McCollum. No one is immune from the occasional off outing. But with Durants status in flux, the Warriors surely hope Thompson returns to form Wednesday. Golden State is a lethal matchup when both Thompson and Stephen Curry are thriving.

Quotable: Anybody whos going through that, you feel bad because everyone wants to play especially this time of year, when it matters the most. Theres no kind of sugar-coating that at all. It sucks to miss playoff games and not be out there with your teammates. - stephen curry on kevin durants calf injury

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com . Twitter: @Con_Chron

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Game-2-preview-Will-Warriors-Kevin-Durant-11082845.php

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What a catch! Bella Thorne models fishnet top and stockings with very short skirt and kinky boots as she plugs ...

EXCLUSIVE: Bella Thorne"s Hollywood Drama "Famous in Love" Is "Entourage for Women"

Bella Thorne reinvents herself daily.

So it was not much of a surprise when the 19-year-old modeled long blonde hair (the day before she was brunette with green highlights) and a brown beanie to plug her new project Famous In Love in NYC on Tuesday.

But what really took the spotlight was her wacky outfit that consisted of not just a fishnet top with matching stockings, but also an unusual pink miniskirt and kinky platform boots.

Blonde ambition: Bella Thorne was seen showing off her new blonde hair in New York City on Tuesday

The former Disney star let her punk rock outfit supply the edginess for her look, sporting fishnet stockings on her arms and her legs.

The 19-year-old wore a vintage-looking t-shirt with a shiny pink cut-off mini skirt for the outing.

accessories were anything but simple, as she rocked lots of rings and bracelets, adding a choker and a necklace with a key on it to the over-the-top look.

Green be gone: The day prior (L), the actress was seen with green tresses

Flipping out: The Famous In Love star seemed to be having fun with her newly longer locks

Her outfit was completed with a pair of black knee-high platform boots and a loose knit hat.

Bella is currently promoting her new series Famous In Love where she plays an actress who falls for her co-star.

Recently, she revealed she would want to date actress Kristen Stewart.

Shake it up: The former Disney starlet wore a punk rock-themed outfit while in NYC

"She"s so hot. She seems like the raddest chick, I"d be so down," Thorne told Harper"s Bazaar.

Bella casually came out as bisexual on Twitter in 2016.

She has dated Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey and singer Charlie Puth.

New wave: Thorne came out as bisexual on Twitter in 2016

Since her leading role in Disney"s Shake It Up alongside Zendaya ended in 2013, it appears Bella has been attempting to shake off her child star image.

In addition to her various hair colors, she has added a septum piercing to her famous face.

In a promotional video for the new Freeform show Bella says, "The problem with Hollywood is that they want to change you."

Latina: The part-Cuban star says people deny her heritage because of her "white" appearance

Q&A: Bella fielded questions during an interview with Build on Tuesday

The part-Cuban star has said that people don"t see her as Latina because she has red hair.

"It"s not about having dark hair and dark eyes," she told Extra in 2014.

Famous In Love premieres Tuesday night on Freeform.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4422438/Bella-Thorne-goes-blonde-promote-Famous-Love.html

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Immigration issues: What is an H1B visa?

США 4677: Президентский указ о пересмотре H1B - пришла беда открывай ворота

President Donald Trump will be in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, introducing his Buy American, Hire American campaign.

The president will be signing an executive order directing the various agencies to work to prevent fraud when it comes to immigration and to make sure visas are awarded to the "most-skilled or highest-paid applicants" who come from a foreign country to work in a specific job in the U.S.

Heres a look at the H-1B visas, who gets them and how they work.

Here"s how the State Department says:

A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the travelers passport, a travel document issued by the travelers country of citizenship.

"Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The Visa section of this website is all about U.S. visas for foreign citizens to travel to the United States.

U.S. citizens dont need a U.S. visa for travel, but when planning travel abroad may need a visa issued by the embassy of the country they wish to visit.

The H1B visa is an employment-based, non-immigrant visa. The visa allows foreigners to work in the United States on a temporary basis for up to six years.

Toget an H1B visa, the person who is to employ a foreign citizen must first offer that person a job and then must apply for the h1b visa with the U.S. Department of Immigration. Once the petition is approved, the visa serves as a permit to work in the United States for a specified period of time.

The H1B visa is for those in specialty occupations; those who possess a body of specialized knowledge for a particular job, and those who hold at least a bachelors degree or equivalent.

Some of the occupations include under H1B are:

-Accounting-Architecture-Arts-Biotechnology-Business specialties-Chemistry-Education-Engineering-Law-Mathematics-Medicine and health-Physical sciences,-Social sciences-Theology

What if they leave the job or the job is discontinued?

If the job is lost or discontinued, a foreign worker under an H1B visa must apply for a change of status to another non-immigrant status, or find another employer. If they can do neither, they must leave the United States. As of Jan. 17, the department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services modified the rules to allow a grace period of up to 60 days to have the status changed or to leave the country.

How many people get an H-1B visa each year?

H-1B visas admit 65,000 workers each year. Another 20,000 graduate student workers are also allowed in the country on the H-1B.

They are awarded by a random lottery.

How will the process change after today?

Trumps executive order will instruct federal agencies to tighten oversight of H1-B visas to help prevent abuse of the system.

Source: http://www.statesman.com/news/national/immigration-issues-what-h1b-visa/qfJD8vZJODaDpLUORIVwZO/

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Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Sergio Ramos fires back at Gerard Pique over cryptic tweet

Carlo Ancelotti analiza la polémica victoria del Real Madrid ante el Bayern 4-2 2017
Sergio Ramos hit back at Gerard Piques cryptic tweet. (Getty Images)

Sergio Ramos has hit back at Gerard Pique after the barcelona defenders cryptic tweet during real Madrids 4-2 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening.

Zinedine Zidanes side required extra time to secure a 4-2 win over Bayern to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, while Cristiano Ronaldo made it 100 goals in the competition with his hat-trick.

12 of Ronaldo"s most ridiculous Champions League stats and records

Madrids win was overshadowed by a series of controversial decisions as two of Ronaldos goals should have been chalked off for offside, while Arturo Vidal was harshly given a second yellow card byHungarian referee Viktor Kassai for a challenge on Marco Asensio.

Shortly after Ronaldos goal which made it 2-2, Pique posted on Twitter: , seemingly in reference to the fact that the 32-year-old was in an offside position.

Gerard Piqu (@3gerardpique) April 18, 2017

More: Football

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Three Bayern stars storm ref"s dressing room after Real defeat

And when asked about his rival after the match, the Madrid captain was quick to point out thatBarcelona have also benefited from decisions inthe Champions League this season.

Nothing new. Im not surprised, Ramos said.

He should rewind and look back to the PSG game and see if he thinks the same about the referees.

MORE: Arturo Vidal slams referee after Bayern Munich robbery in Real Madrid defeat

MORE: Carlo Ancelotti told referee he did a good job after Bayern Munichs defeat to Real Madrid

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/19/sergio-ramos-fires-back-at-gerard-pique-over-cryptic-real-madrid-tweet-6583061/

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Alt-right icon Richard Spencer sparks clashes at Auburn; 3 arrested

Richard Spencer"s Full Speech at Auburn University

AUBURN, Ala. Alt-right spokesman Richard Spencer brought his version of white supremacist thought to the Auburn University campus Tuesday, despite efforts by university officials to shut him down.

The speech almost did not happen, but a federal judge in Montgomery overruled the university hours before the scheduled appearance, a delighted spencer told his audience.

We won a victory that is going to have echoes around the world, Spencer said to loud applause, largely from the front of the hall where a group almost exclusively of white men sat.

When the event ended, around 9 p.m. central time, hundreds of students surrounded the alt-right activists leaving the hall, eventually chasing them off campus at a full sprint.

Source: http://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional/alt-right-icon-richard-spencer-sparks-clashes-auburn-arrested/1u4HldcURB82xi9xbFOOrI/

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Kate Upton does her best Britney Spears

Kate Upton Channels Britney Spears In Upcoming Performance on Lip Sync Battle
Story highlights

• Kate Upton performed on "Lip Sync Battle" Monday night
• From Emma Stone to Anne Hathaway, Upton joins a long list of spears impersonators

upton"s song of choice? Spears" breakout 1998 single, "...Baby One More Time."

Upton isn"t the first famous face to take on the hit song. In fact, she joins a long list of celebrities who"ve attempted to impersonate Miss Brit.

James Corden donned Spears" signature pigtails and school uniform to belt "Baby" during "Carpool Karaoke," alongside Spears.

Ariana Grande did an uncanny Spears during her appearance last year on "Saturday Night Live."

And Emma Stone"s impression of the pop star showed us why she"s an Oscar winner.

But if Spears is looking for a stand-in, she may want to call Anne Hathaway. During an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2015, Hathaway"s impression of Spears was spot-on.

"Gimme" more, Britney.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/18/entertainment/kate-upton-britney-spears/

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Ohio shooting shows livestreaming"s sinister edge

1 Dead, 15 wounded in at Cameo nightclub shooting in Cincinnati Ohio

SAN FRANCISCO The massive growth of live-streaming everything from Little League games to a giraffes birth has developed a sinister edge as murderers, rapists and terrorists have found ways to broadcast video that tech companies such as Facebook are struggling to contain.

Among the most shocking incidents yet came on Easter Sunday, when a man armed with a smartphone and a black handgun took video of himself fatally shooting a bystander on a cleveland street. The alleged killer, Steve Stephens, posted the video on his Facebook page, then took to the Facebook Live streaming service to confess his actions in real time. As of Monday evening, Stephens was still at large.

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Facebook disabled Stephens profile page more than two hours after the initial posting, according to the company, but not before the video of the shooting spread across the social network and to other social media, including YouTube and Instagram. It has been viewed more than 150,000 times.

On Monday, Facebook said it was investigating why it took so long to receive reports of the video and was reviewing its procedures.

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Live video of violent incidents, including suicides, beheadings and torture, have gone viral, with some reaching millions of people. This summer, Facebook faced criticism after a live stream of a disabled young man being tied up, gagged and slashed with a knife stayed up for 30 minutes. Last month, two Chicago teenage boys live-streamed themselves gang-raping a teen girl.

Bound up with doing all of these terrible things is the possibility of showing thousands, possibly millions, of people that youre doing it, said Mary Anne Franks, a University of Miami law professor. She expressed doubt that Facebook could adequately monitor live videos. When it comes to Facebook Live as a product specifically, I dont think its a solvable problem, Franks said.

Shortly after Facebook launched live video streaming to the public last year, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said he wanted a product that would support all the personal and emotional and raw and visceral ways that people communicate. The company has encouraged users to go live in casual settings, while waiting for baggage at the airport, for example, or eating at a tasty food truck.

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On Monday, one day before the companys annual developer conference, questions arose again about whether Facebook had done enough to contain the video services dark side.

This is a horrific crime, and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook, company spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an e-mailed statement. We work hard to keep a safe environment on Facebook, and are in touch with law enforcement in emergencies when there are direct threats to physical safety.

AP

Robert Godwin Sr.

Stephens, 37, who appeared to shoot an elderly man, uploaded three videos between 11:09 and 11:22 a.m. Sunday, Facebook said in a blog post. In the first video, he announced his intent to commit murder. Two minutes later, he uploaded the second video of the shooting. Then, at 11:22, the alleged killer took to his live-video account to broadcast himself confessing. Facebook received its first report of the killing an hour and a half later, at 12:59 p.m. The company said it disabled the account 23 minutes later.

The manhunt continued Monday, with authorities saying they had launched a nationwide search for Stephens. By the late afternoon, authorities were offering up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Steve, if youre out there listening, call someone - whether its a friend or family member or pastor. Give them a call. Theyre waiting for you to call them, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams pleaded with Stephens at an afternoon news conference.

The incident demonstrates how Facebook is grappling with its increasingly consequential role in world affairs, as well as the fundamental challenges in policing a growing amount of highly charged content, including Islamic State beheadings that potentially inspire terrorists and fake news that has allegedly skewed the national political debate.

While Facebooks policies permit some graphic content to be posted - for example, the broadcasting of police brutality at a protest would generally be allowed - the company prohibits users from posting images or videos for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate or glorify violence.

Facebooks reluctance to play a greater gatekeeper role has also drawn the ire of critics, who say that the rush to profit off viral content and video is leading to dangerous societal outcomes.

The company raced into live video after observing the explosive popularity of platforms such as Snapchat, Meerkat and YouTube. Zuckerberg was reportedly so moved in a meeting by data that showed a staggeringly high amount of time users spend on video that he immediately put 100 of the companys top engineers on a two-month lockdown and charged them to come up with new video products, according to a profile in the Wall Street Journal.

The amount of time consumers spend watching videos online has increased more than fourfold since 2011, according to the research firm eMarketer. That video explosion, much of it being broadcast by everyday citizens and not news organizations with standards for displaying graphic content, is exposing the public to a new level of violent imagery.

Its amazing how performative people are in their cruelty, said Danielle Citron, a University of Maryland law professor who has worked with Facebook and other tech companies to block revenge p**n and prevent cyberstalking.

Yet the issue is complicated for technology companies, which have wide latitude to host content created by others without being legally responsible for it, Citron said.

In recent interviews and blog posts, Zuckerberg has acknowledged the complexity of the companys new role in the global spotlight. He hopes to amplify the good and mitigate the bad effects of the Facebook platform, he wrote earlier this year.

AFP/Getty Images

Steve Stephens.

Since Facebook launched live-streaming, first with celebrities in late 2015 and then to the general public, there have been so many live suicides broadcast that the company decided to create a set of tools for users to flag them and alert law enforcement, a tacit acknowledgment of its gatekeeper responsibilities.

Yet in July, the company apologized and blamed a technical glitch after live video of the aftermath of the Philando Castile police shooting, which was posted by his girlfriend and caused a national outcry, was temporarily disabled by Facebook software.

In an interview last month at the companys Menlo Park, California, headquarters, Facebook executives said that the majority of live video content posted on the site is positive in nature.

Facebook Live product director Daniel Danker said, We largely rely on the community to flag live moments that are unsafe or otherwise fall outside of our community standards.

When users flag such content, it is then sent to a global team of professionals within 24 hours. But critics say that, within that length of time, inappropriate videos can be viewed millions of times.

Facebook has declined to reveal how many people and resources it invests in policing content.

In the Washington Post interview, Danker acknowledged there were obstacles to creating a safe space in real time. Its particularly challenging of course with live because theres no time to react, he said. Its happening as you see it.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEeoc3yPDp4NHe5sOqzgNtkLnFXpg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779461975503&ei=p1X2WJKJF8jYqAL6la-YDQ&url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2017/04/17/ohio-shooting-latest-example-dark-side-livestreaming-facebook-other-services/TCxTC2N2xRphYmpaAmsvGN/story.html

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