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Washington Redskins 2015 Offseason & NFL Draft Recap

preson smith impact on washington redskins 2015It was another year another disappointing season for Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins. A 4-12 finish under first year head coach Jay Gruden cost the majority of the coaching staff and front office their jobs, but that may have been for the best — bringing in Scot McCloughan was the start of a solid overall offseason by the ‘Skins.

McCloughan is the kind of go-getter a team in the Redskins position needs. McCloughan immediately went to work trying to fix the franchise, resigning safety Duke Ihenacho and penning semi-big name free agents Stephen Paea, Terrance Knighton, and Jeron Johnson. Paea and Knighton bring huge value to the hybrid 3-4 defensive scheme the Redskins are trying to run successfully, and Johnson is a great pickup for their struggling secondary.

Unfortunately, McCloughan’s horrible draft overshadows a great start to the new league year. With Dan Snyder committed to RGIII, the Skins desperately needed to add as much offensive talent as possible and just hope that it would be enough to balance out Griffin’s terrible play. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the team has a very shallow defensive front seven and a putrid secondary to address.

scot mccloughan washington redskins offseason recap 2015 imagesMaybe McCloughan forgot about the defense. Preston Smith was a good second round pick, but the team didn’t call a safety or defensive back until Day 3. The team did make a sufficient attempt at bolstering the offensive line, however.

The team focused on the offense early and often, starting by taking Iowa guard Brandon Scherff with the 5th overall pick. Before getting into why this was a bad pick, Scherff is a great lineman and a very safe pick in the top five. Scherff will easily be an all-rookie team member this season, and he will be an instant value for RGIII’s pass protection—especially if they decide to convert him to one of the tackle positions.

That being said, both Leonard Williams and Vic Beasley were still on the board, and the Redskins took a guard? There was definitely a lot more potential value here. Even if the team was committed to Scherff, they could have easily traded down to No. 8 or 9, letting someone else jump in front of the New York Jets to steal Williams, and earning an extra second or third round draft pick.

McCloughan made up for the first round mishap by taking Mississippi State linebacker Preston Smith. Brian Orakpo joined the Tennessee Titans this offseason; and although Smith may not be as good as Orakpo he will be a solid member of the rotation. Overall, he was an underrated edge rushing outside linebacker who had a legitimate chance of sneaking into the first round.

Unfortunately, that was about it for the Redskins. Alabama guard Arie Kouandjio was a great pick in the fourth round and will most likely be starting on this offensive line come September; however, the remaining picks were subpar at best.

Example: Florida running back Matt Jones in the third round? With Alfred Morris on the team, Jones will be no more than a third-down back in 2015. The Redskins could have easily waited till the sixth round if that’s what they were looking for. On top of that, there were better backs available when the Redskins took him off the board at 95th overall.

More examples: safety Kyshoen Jarrett at 181 and cornerback Tevin Mitchel at 182. The Skins finally addressed their secondary issue, but it was too little and too late. Jarrett will be a good special teams player this season, but he is nothing but a liability in pass coverage. Mitchel on the other hand was hardly a draftable player. If Washington didn’t pick him up, he very likely would have never heard his name called.

When you factor in the bad draft, it was a decent offseason overall in the nation’s capital. The Redskins definitely tried their best, but at the end of the day they didn’t do enough to balance out the fact that Griffin is still their starting quarterback. Honestly, they’ll be lucky to improve on the 4-12 finish from last season.

Virtually Controlling Fear

virtually controlling your fear of spiders heights 2015 imagesWhat’s the best way to cure someone’s fear of flying? It’s to get the person to sit in a plane. The best way to cure a fear of spiders? Let him or her pet a tarantula. The best way to cure a fear of heights? Bungee jumping of course. The best way to cure a fear of the dark? It’s to stuff him or her in a dark room. In other words, let them face their fears. That’s easier said than done. It’s easy to rationalize from the perspective of the fearless. The dark is simply the absence of light, and that spiders are harmless insect-hunting arthropods. But irrational fear is often irrational; something to be dealt with or understood by the person himself. Some people consider subjecting someone to a fearsome environment or situation as unethical due to the intense stress and anxiety given to the patient; it’s like torture. But the fear still needs to be cured, addressed or controlled. So the next best way for people with phobias to face their fears is to deal with them through simulated environments, in other words, virtual reality.

fireman virtual reality fear 2015Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, or VRET has been around since the term virtual reality was coined and implemented in the 90s. Patients are exposed to environments and situations related to their fears by subjecting them in computer-generated environments coupled with simulated external stimuli like noise, smells and vibrations. The visual element is often provided by a head-mounted display much like the Oculus Rift. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy is said to have about an above 90 percent success rate in curing various panic and anxiety disorders even when VR headsets weren’t so refined.

early virtual reality image 2015During the early days of virtual reality, it was easy for people to dismiss VRET as another form of snake oil due to the era’s polygonal graphics. How real. But the technology was groundbreaking that it’s easy to accept the brand new environment as ‘real’ (like when people accepted wax tube recordings as the actual human voice), but the other senses have to be stimulated too in order to achieve the desired effect. VRET includes smells, sounds, vibrations and touch to enhance the effect of the visual stimuli. The therapy is safe enough since the patient the patient is aware of the virtual nature of the treatment. There is less stress and anxiety involved and that the treatment is performed with the guidance of the therapist.

therapist using virtual reality on patient 2015Virtual Reality technology has gone a long way since blocky textured shapes. VRET is expected to become more effective due to the renewed focus on virtual reality headsets. We now have Facebook’s Oculus Rift, Sony’s Project Morpheus, Valve’s Valve VR, Google’s Cardboard, Samsung’s Gear and other headsets coming out of the market. These devices are focused on gaming but they’re already being used to further other applications such as VRET in labs like the one in the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University. Stanford has made use of the Oculus Rift. Children with phobias are also getting help through the use of VRET at the Newcastle University Institute of Neuroscience and Psious, a Spanish startup has successfully implemented phobia treatments using the Samsung Gear.

With more realistic graphics, VRET therapists expect the treatments to become easier, more effective and more affordable. The new generation of VR headsets can easily transport acrophobic patients up high cliffs, claustrophobics in tight situations and people with arachnophobia can go face to face with one or more realistic spiders in a silent darkened room with audible tip-taps of several sets of eight legs. People with fear of flying can now face their fears without having to purchase expensive round-trip tickets and face the actual possibility of crashing. Stage fright can be solved with a gradually increasing virtual audience. Since VR headsets are heading into mainstream, patients can even continue their treatments at home (as long as the therapist is in contact).

virtual reality for fear flying 2015The visual element isn’t limited to VR headsets though as other treatment clinics employ rooms equipped with 360 degree video to simulate an environment. Sensors and relays attached or worn by the patient stimulate the other senses.

Other applications of virtual reality include safety drills in training for natural disasters, lifestyle adjustments, combating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in retired servicemen and behavioral adjustments in combating racial and gender prejudice.

The improvement of VR technology can only mean great things for society. Humans will be able to better function without trivial and irrational fears. As a diminutive but wise master once said, “fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering.”

BIG BROTHER 1704: Jace Streaks & Da’vonne Shreiks

big brother 1704 recap images jace runs wild 2015Tensions mounted on last night’s episode of Big Brother 1704, Jason and James discussed how many votes Jace would need for eviction this week. Meanwhile, Jace assured Steven that he had his back in the game. James said that he needed to target Meg and others in the house,,including Clay,  to help get Jace eliminated from the competition. Meg then said she was entering into an official alliance with James.

Once James and Clay agreed to an alliance, James recruited Jason, Da’vonne, Meg and Shelli  into the alliance. Da’vonne said that this alliance wasn’t going to last long and that it was a weak one. Jace then ran through the Big Brother house completely naked, which did not endear him to his housemates. Vanessa even said that he had made a mistake by doing that and she didn’t think he was giving them the impression of him that he wanted to. Austin said that because the other house guests knew he was close with Jace that they would associate Jace streaking them with Austin and he didn’t want to be portrayed that way.

jace tries being nekked for big brother 17 but fails 2015Austin said he could tell Jace was getting on peoples nerves and that he needed to talk to James about it because he wanted to help Jace stay in the game by avoiding eviction. James said Jace was a wild card and that he was trying to get anyone evicted but himself. He also said that though Jace thought James was part of his alliance that was only going to be temporary until the veto vote in which one housemate up for eviction can be saved.

big brother jace streaks through backyard 17 2015James announced they had to choose players for the season’s first veto competition. There are two nominees for the veto competition as well as four wild card picks. The heads of household also get to participate in this challenge. He said the worst thing that could happen would be for Jace or Austin to get chosen to pick the veto. Two of the four wild picks were Becky and John,whose names were drawn randomly. Steven then drew a chip that allowed him to choose the third wild pick for the veto competition and he chose Jason. Steven said he chose Jason because he wanted to be able to bond with him in the future and he thought this would help. James then chose Austin to host the veto competition. Jace celebrated Austin being named host of the veto competition and that increased James’ desire to get Jace evicted from the house.

davoone anger shreik breakdown on big brother 1704 2015Da’vonne walked around the house counting items in it to be prepared for any counting challenge in the future. When she caught heat from Jeff and Clay for going in a bedroom that wasn’t hers she said she was livid and that it was none of the other housemates business why she went into any room in the house. She then said that she didn’t trust Clay or Shelli even though she had previously trusted Clay. Jeff said he didn’t want heat from such a small incident and apologized to Da’vonne for getting angry that she went into his bedroom. Da’vonne said she didn’t feel the incident was Jeff’s fault and that she wasn’t mad at him. Once Jeff left Da’vonne said he had just come in to do damage control and that she didn’t think he really was sorry. Clay said he was frustrated with the game but he didn’t want to fight fire with fire because that would just lead to his elimination. Clay then said to avoid being evicted he had to get on Da’vonne’s good side and make her feel like she was right and he was wrong. He then told Da’vonne her attitude is negative. Clay stated that Da’vonne was paranoid and eventually that was going to get her evicted. Audrey said the argument between Clay and Da’vonne could mess up the alliance they had formed. She also said that Da’vonne needed to get it together and not let Clay and Jeff see her upset. Audrey felt Da’vonne was a threat to her position in this game. Audrey then asked Clay to go apologize to Da’vonne. Clay said he had to do some major apologizing even if it wasn’t sincere. Da’vonne said she appreciated his apology and the two of them hugged. As soon as he left the room Da’vonne said she knew Audrey sent him in to apologize and that he didn’t even mean what he had just said to her. Da’vonne admitted she was irritated with Audrey over this.

davonne not happy with clay big brother 17 2015James then announced that it was time to choose the season’s four have-nots. A have-not is someone in the house who has to eat Big Brother slop for a week as well as take cold showers and sleep in an uncomfortable bed. They were then taken into a horrible room set up to look like the dentist’s office in Little Shop of Horrors.

For the season’s first veto competition, the backyard was set up to look like Nova Scotia and the housemates had to dig for golden nuggets in order to win veto power. A value was assigned to each nugget stating how many points its worth. Bringing one letter at a time through the obstacle course, a word must be formed within 10 minutes. The housemate whose word has the highest point value wins. Steve said needed to win the veto to avoid being a pawn in the game and James said that he needed to win the veto because then he could control nominations for the evicted housemate.  Steve came up with a 12 point word and won the power of veto. He said that now he has negotiating power in the game.

Big brother 1704 steve wins power of veto recap 2015 imagesAudrey recruited Shelli to join her alliance. Jason expressed his displeasure that she had done this. Audrey also wanted to bring Jeff into the alliance but he was more interested in getting to know Meg. James said he didn’t want their alliance to become too large.

big brother cast 1704 nominationsSteven announced the start of the veto meeting. Just as everyone suspected he would he used his veto power to keep himself safe from eviction. James then nominated the house guest that would replace Steven and he chose Jace. The veto meeting then concluded. Tonight’s show will determine if Jackie or Jace is the first house guest evicted. Jace is like that sad puppy who runs around wanting everyone’s love and then getting sad when he realizes there’s just not enough love to go around for him.

Kim Kardashian Busts Out For Rolling Stone & Rita Ora Okay With Taylor Swift

kim kardashian rolling stone cover 2015 gossipThe July issue of the Rolling Stone has been released with none other than Kim Kardashian as the cover girl. In a nautical theme set up, Kim graces the cover wearing a captain’s hat and probably the most revealing shirt she could find.

While the cover promises to turn a few heads let’s not forget about the actual interview. Kim talks about her father’s involvement in the O.J. Simpson case, even revealing that at one point Simpson was rooming in her sister Khloe Kardashian’s bedroom in her father’s home.

For those who are too young to remember the Simpson case, O.J. was a standout football player and minor movie star. In the early 1990s he became the central suspect in the alleged murders of his wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The highly televised court drama eventually saw Simpson acquitted in the latter part of 1995.

Kardashian, in her interview, explains where her allegiance laid during the case, as her parents had opposing views (Rob Kardashian Sr. was part of the defense for O.J. while Kris Jenner was good friends with Nicole Brown). Kim states:

“I definitely took my dad’s side…We just always thought my dad was the smartest person in the world, and he really believed in his friend [O.j.]”

However, now Kim says she has mixed feelings about the infamous case and just tries to not think about it at this point in her life.

She goes on to talk about her stepfather and her transition into becoming Caitlyn Jenner. Kim recounts that she remembers walking into the garage 12 years ago, finding Caitlyn, who was still Bruce at the time, dressed head-to-toe in women’s clothes. Shaking, Kim felt she had just walked in on her stepdad’s deepest, darkest secret. Half an hour later, Kim gets a phone call from Jenner and tells her “One day, I’ll talk to you about this. Until then don’t tell a soul.”

Fast forward 8 years, before Kim was preparing to wed Kanye, Bruce finally sat down with her and explained to her what really was going on. A few years later, Jenner decided to go public with her transitioning plans and is now preparing for her own docu-series I Am Cait on E! Network.

Kim goes on to talk about Kanye and his decision to stay off of the family’s reality series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. As well Kim briefly discusses her past friendship with hotel heiress Paris Hilton.

Surprisingly, the Rolling Stone also got Kim to open up about her brother Rob Kardashian and his exit from the spotlight over the past few years. Kim is quoted as saying:

”It’s not that mysterious, what’s happening with Rob,” Kardashian says. “He has gained weight. He feels uncomfortable being on the show, and that’s OK. Do I think he smokes weed, drinks beer, hangs out and plays video games with his friends all day long? Yes.”  It appears Kim couldn’t help but release some of the resentment she feels towards Rob’s recent life choices, as is often seen from her on her show.

If her cover on July’s issue of the Rolling Stone isn’t enough to capture some readers, I am sure the in-depth interview with Kim in it will have no trouble doing so. Here’s a short snippet of what to expect when it hits on July 3, 2015. You won’t want to miss it, I’m sure.

When Kim was a teen she dated Michael Jackson’s nephew, TJ. It was her first experience in an interracial relationship — and not her last.
At the time, her dad, Robert Kardashian, “explained to me that he’s had a lot of interracial friends, and it might not be the easiest relationship. He said I should prepare myself for people to say things to me. . . . When I was in high school, I’d get magazines and see interracial couples and think, ‘They are so cute.’ I’ve always been attracted to a certain kind of look.”

The most rebellious thing Kim did as a youngster? Secretly marrying.
“She was a teenager then, and teenagers do a lot of crazy things,” Kim’s mother Kris Jenner says of her daughter’s marriage to music producer Damon Thomas at age 20. Kardashian explains it this way: “I was very happy at home learning how to cook and clean and keep a house. I knew that was where I wanted to end up.”

Kim discovered her stepfather dressed in women’s clothing in the garage when she was 22 — 12 years before the former Bruce Jenner announced to the world, “Call me Caitlyn.”
“I was shaking,” Kardashian says. “I didn’t know if I’d just found out his deepest, darkest secret, and he was going to come after me.” Jenner called her on the phone a half hour later, and said, “One day, I’ll talk to you about this. Until then, don’t tell a soul.” Eight years later, he said, “Let’s have that talk.” Before Kim’s wedding to West, Kardashian talked to Kanye about it. “I wasn’t sure if Bruce was going to be comfortable walking me down the aisle,” she says. “He had just had his trachea shaved, so I knew something was going on.” She was afraid of what West might think, but West calmed her concerns. “[Kanye] obviously moves to his own drum,” she says. “He lives his life the way he wants, a really authentic life, and he was like, ‘If you can’t be authentic and you can’t live your life, what do you have?’ ”

Kim was living with her father, O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian, when the actor/athlete was accused of murder in 1994 — and he briefly moved in, staying in Kloe’s room.
“It was surreal, with Johnnie Cochran and Robert Shapiro and all these guys having meetings at my dad’s house,” Kim says. Kris was close with Nicole Brown Simpson and believed that O.J. was guilty, creating a massive amount of tension in the family. “I definitely took my dad’s side,” Kim says. “We just always thought my dad was the smartest person in the world, and he really believed in his friend.” As far as what she believes now, she says, “It’s weird. I just try not to think about it.”

Yes, you can call her a feminist.
“I’ve never really been one on labels, and I don’t like to push my view,” Kardashian says. “If I feel something, it’s how I feel. I never say, ‘I feel this way, so you should feel that way.’ Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but I just am who I am. But, yeah.” She smiles. “I think you would call me a feminist.”

Kim rolled with Paris Hilton’s “celebutante” crew but never got caught exiting a car without her underwear. How?
“I rarely wear underwear, but that never happened to me,” she says. “I was never drinking. . . . I think that saved me a lot.” Kardashian explains she doesn’t drink or do drugs except for “five shots of vodka in Vegas every three years.”

Kim’s sex tape didn’t bring her closer to Hilton, who had a similar experience.
“I don’t think she was that happy,” Kardashian says. “We didn’t really talk about it. I probably would have thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, let me give her advice,’ but we had no communication. But our friendship had fizzled before that.”

Kardashian did find out who leaked the tape. And is over it now.
“We’re in major confidentiality, so I can’t talk about it,” Kardashian says of the culprit. Does she still think about the fact that a great deal of humanity has seen her in flagrante? “I don’t really think about it,” she says quietly. “I thought about it for a long time. But when I get over something, I get over it.”

Music is a huge part of Kim’s life — and she still makes mix CDs.
“As kids, we were at concerts like Michael Jackson every weekend. My first concert was Earth, Wind and Fire.” As an adolescent, she liked Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder, and played Mary J. Blige and Jodeci on her bedroom record player. “I still make mix CDs,” she says. “I have an older computer with a disk drive so I can do it.” In high school, she was obsessed with ‘NSync and the Backstreet Boys — “really obsessed, though I was more of a Backstreet girl.” She also listened to Snoop, Dre and Ice Cube.

Kim and Kanye are “definitely opposites” and she respects his desire not to appear on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
“You can’t expect me to jump up onstage and start singing — it’s not what I do.” But West has spent the past few years dressing his wife. “The makeover Kanye has given me is amazing,” she says. And while she says West introduced her to wearing runway fashion, she believes she would have come to that decision herself eventually.

Kim says her brother Rob exited the spotlight because he got heavier.
“It’s not that mysterious, what’s happening with Rob,” Kardashian says. “He has gained weight. He feels uncomfortable being on the show, and that’s OK. Do I think he smokes weed, drinks beer, hangs out and plays video games with his friends all day long? Yes.”

rita ora okay with calvin harris dating taylor swift 2015 gossipSinger Rita Ora recently opened up with Evening Standard about her split with Calvin Harris, who is now seeing Taylor Swift. She tells the news outlet that she feels no sense of jealousy of Harris’ new relationship:

“It was a period of my life that I will value forever. But some things are just not meant to be. I don’t want to make this just about him. Musically, it was an amazing experiment and let’s just leave it at that.”

This interview with Rita had a quite different vibe regarding the relationship than the one she gave to Marie Claire, where she said that she felt she was mislead to believe Calvin had her back and he wound up “steering” her in the wrong direction. Rita explained that she felt the relationship was going south when their personal lives began intertwining within their business careers.

It is nice to see that the previous sense of animosity between Rita and Calvin has died down since their very public split. Hopefully this will allow for a fresh start for Calvin in his new relationship with Taylor.

Here’s a snippet from the Marie Claire interview you won’t want to miss:

On playing the house diva behind the turntables while her parents thought she was going to sleepovers: “I would rip my T-shirts and be really punk and not clean. And I would have blonde hair, really dark eyebrows, red lipstick, lots of fake rings that made my fingers go green. I wouldn’t be smelling that great…. But me and my friends, we were really, like, rebel-y. I feel like I lived a lot when I shouldn’t have.”

On dating: “I’m afraid of being alone. I’m not afraid to admit that, you know. I’m not embarrassed to admit that. I just hope it’s not a never-ending cycle. Sometimes love just makes you feel crazy. And that feeling that we have as girls, just to have that feeling, even for five seconds, it’s like crack. I mean, don’t compare it to that, but you know what I mean. It’s like comfort eating.”

On her recent breakup: “There was a reason why I split up with him. And there was a reason why I’m at this point in my life where I feel like I have so much musical freedom, and I don’t have to explain myself to anybody… It was more of a thing where I was in awe. I was at that point in my relationship where I felt he could do no wrong. I thought he had my back and that he’d never steer me wrong. But then “I Will Never Let You Down” came out, and everything started to go a bit weird. I don’t know if it was because business was mixed with personal or what.”

On playing a drug addict who attempts to seduce a boxer played by Jake Gyllenhaal inSouthpaw: “I arrived on the set, and the makeup artist said, ‘You’re kind of ready to go onstage.’ I’m like, ‘You know I’m playing a crack whore?’ Which shows: Don’t look at me when I’m waking up.”

On recording three songs with Prince: “He came to London about a year ago and his manager contacted my management, and he said, ‘Hey, Prince is in town.’ I was like, ‘What prince? Like the royal family prince? I wouldn’t care about that prince. I care more about actual Prince Prince.’ And he was like, ‘Actual Prince.’ I said, ‘Oh, my God!'”

On patience: “I’ve had to have a lot of patience. Because there have been times at night where I want to pull my hair out and just put my music out for free on the Internet and just say fuck everybody. But then I have this conscience saying no, be smart, be strategic. There are ways of doing things and still getting your way. If I’m going to do Rita Ora, it’s going to be Rita fucking Ora. It’s not about who is on my album or who’s featured or the names. It’s about a solid body of work that I can call my own.

Yelp Cries Foul on Google

yelp calls out foul on google search 2015 imagesGoogle has become the world’s universal search engine. It’s even become a verb synonymous to “look up”. To look something up on the web is to “Google it”. But like an artist too popular for his/her own good, Google has become an object of scrutiny when it uses its own popularity to further its own ends. For years many have speculated that Google manipulates search results in order to further its own interests. That search results are fixed where what should be on top gets moved to the bottom. Just because the company owns the search engine shouldn’t mean it can stick in one or two of its own content into its search results. According to some, it’s an unfair practice for which Google had been investigated before, but Columbia Law School professor and author Tim Wu, Harvard Business School professor Michael Luca and a data science team from Yelp say that the practice continues and is hurting users.

So what harm can it do if the company decides to throw in a couple of unsolicited results? Such a practice could deliver less useful results which damages productivity. For example, users who type the term orthodontics may just want information about the field, not a map and ten listings of nearby clinics. For users with small screen real-estate (tablets, smartphones, and laptops with lousy 16:9 screens) it can be discouraging or counter-productive having to scroll on their smartphones, tablets or netbooks. Google’s current practice is detailed in a paper written by Tim Wu (The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires) with help from Michael Luca and Yelp and was recently delivered at the Oxford University’s Antitrust Enforcement Symposium.

Here is a summary:

“By prominently displaying Google content in response to search queries, Google is able to leverage its dominance in search to gain customers for this content. This yields serious concerns if the internal content is inferior to organic search results. To investigate, we implement a randomized controlled trial in which we vary the search results that users are shown ­ comparing Google’s current policy of favorable treatment of Google content to results in which external content is displayed. We find that users are 45% more likely to engage with universal search results (i.e. prominently displayed map results on Google) when the results are organically determined. This suggests that by leveraging dominance in search to promote its internal content, Google is reducing social welfare ­ leaving consumers with lower quality results and worse matches.”

One could easily see the difference using the above example. Users can check out the term ‘orthodontics’ on the Google search engine and compare it with results from other search engines like DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo displays more organic results than Google although both the top result features Wikipedia, there are more ads and recommendations on-screen in Google than DuckDuckGo. The paper also says that users are more likely to ignore the added Google content and explore the organic blue links which is what this author often does. This author also developed a muscle memory in calling in Google when searching for something but resort to other search engines when looking for more organic results.

Furthermore:

“From this paper one thing should be abundantly clear… The easy and widely disseminated argument that Google’s universal search always serves users and merchants is demonstrably false. Instead, in the largest category of search (local intent-based), Google appears to be strategically deploying universal search in a way that degrades the product so as to slow and exclude challengers to its dominant search paradigm… The harm caused by such misdirection when it occurs, will vary, but is undeniable in the aggregate.”

Google argues that for marketable products and services, its Local OneBox, Plus Box and 10-Pack services actually help those who are actually out to purchase them. They are also helpful in localized searches for example, when looking for Chinese take-out or auto body repair. If and when possible, the top results will feature Wikipedia articles about the particular search term maintaining the search results’ usefulness.

Though the paper may have a point, the other side of the coin points to the paper being sponsored by and contributed to by Yelp, a competitor in business search and reviews. Yelp is also not without its share of scandals such as alleged advertisement purchasing extortion as well as manipulation and filtering of business reviews. Yelp was allegedly involved in coercing businesses to purchase advertisements in favor of filtering out negative reviews or increasing the amount of negative reviews to force business owners in purchasing ads.

With Google already in the crosshairs of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and European Union regulators for antitrust issues, the paper’s cry of Yelp may just open up a fresh can of worms for the search giant and force it to rethink its strategy.

Movie TV Tech Geeks App Hits 200K Downloads

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ios app images movie tv tech geeks 2015After having so many of you all test our Android and iOS free apps, Movie TV Tech Geeks has finally released them both, and we’ve had just over 200,000 downloads in a weeks time. We know that compared to game apps like Candy Crush and any Kings games that’s nothing, but we’re pretty proud of that number since we had no idea what to expect.

You can download the app for free at any of these three main places. There’s plenty of places carrying it, but rather than put them all, we’re just keeping it to three:

Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.movietvtechgeeksnews

http://www.amazon.com/Movie-TV-Tech-Geeks-News/dp/B00Z2MZKWY

iOS:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/movie-tv-tech-geeks-news/id1004408503

After getting enough e-mails from you readers about why we didn’t have one, now you have it to get your hands on. It’s pretty simple, and we’ve included our YouTube Channel so you don’t miss any of the Curvy Girl Diva’s celebrity gossip podcasts or Chris Maurice with all your sports news. Also in the portal is our Facebook and Twitter sites all in one place so you don’t have to bounce around from site to site. It’s all in one spot and if you get lost, you just hit home and it brings you back to our site.

For those with iPhones and iPads, our iOS app has some cool fun game extras that many users have claimed they found addictive. I didn’t find them so addictive, but everyone’s different when it comes to that.

Since our giveaways are back, including a very special The Walking Dead Season 5 blu-ray box set, it’ll be even easier to get your chance through the app. You’ll also get to see our new fun faces for our site, the Twins who’ll be doing a lot of cool vids for us since we’ve been lucky enough to grow so fast from all you great readers. You can get a sneak peek at their first video for us here. They’re already working on a fun commercial for our app that’ll be up next month.

Also coming up, we were blessed to have the brilliant jazz singer Faith Amour write a theme song for our Curvy Girl Diva. Seems that people are reading her gossip columns and ‘For the Record’ and getting inspired, and that’s exactly what happened. After reading what Curvy Girl Diva had to say about Caitlyn Jenner in our six-part series, Amour felt that our girl deserved her own special song as a lead in to her videos. Our team here is working on it now so expect to see that next week.

Since we do some great interviews, we also had a rapper from Atlanta, GA write a theme song for our site, and we’ll be showing that next week with the video he also created. He’s promised us it’s going to be crazy amazing so all of us here can’t wait to see it.

So that’s what’s coming up in the next month, and thanks to everyone who’s downloaded the app and enjoyed it giving us a five star rating. There’s been no crashes or issues thankfully, and we want to thank all of our beta testers who were very thorough and put our app through its paces.

 

 

Nick Jonas Slams Crossfit & Cheryl Burke Dumps Trump’s USA: Celebrity Gossip Roundup

ben affleck jennifer garner final divorce 2015 gossipAfter months of speculation, it has now been confirmed that A-list couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are filing for divorce. The couple released their statement yesterday (Tuesday), just a day after their 10th year wedding anniversary. The statement released read:

“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for your understanding.”

Jen and Ben met on the set of 2001’s Pearl Harbor and were able to get to know each other further in 2003 on set of Daredevil. Then in October 2004, the two stars decided to take their relationship public.

After 10 years of marriage, the two stars share three children: Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and son Samuel, 3.

An outpour of upset has taken over twitter following the divorce announcement. Even a few fellow celebrities have vocalized their dismay, including Jersey Shore’s Nicole Polizzi (Snooki).

Nicole Polizzi, Twitter post:

nick jonas slams crossfit diabetes 2015 gossipSinger Nick Jonas took to twitter to criticize fitness company Crossfit regarding a recent twitter post.

Crossfit is famous for their intense workouts and strict, healthy diets. It is not surprising to find an abundance of inspirational material, as well as some slamming of unhealthy habits on their social media accounts. On Monday, Crossfit sent out a tweet mocking those who choose to drink Coca-Cola, with a picture attached that read “open diabetes” instead of the actual Coke slogan “open happiness.”

After seeing this post, Nick Jonas, who has been public about his type one diabetes, decided to shade the company on its ignorant post. Nick tried to spread the message that there are two types of diabetes: type one and type two. Although the majority of cases are type two, which can be prevented by healthy diet and exercise, there is still a large population, like Nick, with type one diabetes. Type one diabetes cannot be prevented and is thought to be at least partially hereditary.

Comments like Crossfits group all the diabetics in only one of the two categories, which can be extremely frustrating to those with type one, who have no control over the diagnosis. Nick is an example that not all diabetics are necessarily unhealthy and that type one diabetes can even cause people to place bigger emphasis on eating healthy and exercising.

It doesn’t look like Nick will be working on his fitness in a Crossfit any time soon. Considering the fitness buff he has turned into, its definitely Crossfit’s loss!

Nick Jonas, Twitter posts:

cheryl burke dumps donald trump miss usa 2015 gossipContinuing the downward spiral of Trump’s television empire, Miss USA co-host Cheryl Burke has officially dropped out of her position.

Although Donald has been adamant in reassuring people that the pageant will still happen on July 12, it look as though everyone involved will no longer be part of it.

Cheryl released a statement explaining that due to Donald’s recent comments on Mexican immigrants, as well as NBC’s decision to cut ties with him, she could not “in good conscience move forward participating in this year’s Miss USA pageant as its co-host.” She continued to wish the contestants good luck and recognized the hard work that they have all put in to compete in the pageant.

Cheryl Burke has now joined the ever-growing list of names distancing them from Donald, including: hosts of the Spanish simulcast of the pageant Roselyn Sanchez and Cristian De La Fuente, NBC, Univision, Co-hosts Cheryl Burke, Thomas Roberts and Jeannie Mal.

Donald has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to run the pageant this year.

 

 

Iggy Azalea Blames & E.L. James Shames: Celebrity Gossip Roundup

el james twitter debacle 2015 gossipAuthor of 50 Shades of Grey E.L. James’ got some heat after she opened up her twitter to a reader Q&A. In attempt to promote her fourth book Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, James allowed fans to ask her questions about her books, how she writes, etc. Using the hashtag #AskELJames, Twitter users got to work, but perhaps not in the way James had expected.

James was quickly plagued by tweets questioning the content of her book, her perspective on characters Christian and Anastacia’s relationship, and even her talent in general. Unfortunately, it was not only fans and readers who were sending out the critiquing tweets. Many celebrities decided to add their thoughts on her writing and books, including Trevor Donovan, Caitlin Stasey and Mara Wilson.

Trevor Donovan, twitter post:

Caitlyn Stasey, twitter post:

Mara Wilson, twitter post:

iggy azalea blames everyone for pretty girls flop song 2015 gossipIn other twitter news, singer Iggy Azalea also opened up a Q&A on the social media site for her fans. In which, she addressed the flop of her potential hit with Britney Spears, Pretty Girls. The song, released in May, featured an intergalactic themed music video and was even performed by the two pop stars at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.

However, the “song of the summer,” barely passed top 30 on the charts and has been descending down ever since.

In the Q&A Iggy commented the difficulty of having a hit song without “additional promo and TV” performances etc.

Iggy goes on to add that she was just featured on the track, and that she would have loved to have been able to perform it more and get it more hyped.

Spears, Pretty Girls. The song, released in May, featured an intergalactic themed music video and was even performed by the two pop stars at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.

However, the “song of the summer,” barely passed top 30 on the charts and has been descending down ever since.

In the Q&A Iggy commented the difficulty of having a hit song without “additional promo and TV” performances etc.

Iggy goes on to add that she was just featured on the track, and that she would have loved to have been able to perform it more and get it more hyped.

Although Pretty Girls has gotten 78 million hits on Youtube, it just doesn’t seem to have chart-topper in its future.

Iggy Azalea, twitter posts:

 

donald trump fired by nbc 2015 gossipIt’s official. NBC has cut its ties with presidential candidate, Donald Trump. This decision by NBC followed an outflow of criticism following Donald’s controversial comments on Mexican immigrants.  Donald expressed his determination to put up a wall at the Southern border of America and Mexico if he were to become president.

Critics called out for the network to cancel Trump’s shows Miss USA, Miss Universe and Celebrity Apprentice, with a petition that received over 200,000 signatures in just over three days.

Well Mr. Trump, looks like “you’re fired!”

Below is what the heartfelt petition said:

Dear NBC,

I grew up wondering if Rachel and Ross would stay together, my favorite psychiatrist would finally have a relationship, and trying to figure out if George was really the master of his own domain. I watched show after show in the good and the bad times. I still cannot see you eye to eye for taking my favorite cannibal away, but hey, at least you brought back Duchovny!

Which is why I am wondering as to why the Latinos are being treated as second class citizens. Food Network cancelled Paula Dean’s shows for insulting the African-American community, Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty was suspended for his anti-gay remarks, and so on and so forth. Yet, as one of the most watched TV networks in the country and owner of Telemundo, the second most largest Hispanic TV network, you side for business and not for ethics, principles and values.

A few days ago, one of your TV reality show stars by the name of Donald Trump, decided to announce his candidacy for the largest public position in the United States, the presidency. He called Latinos, not only Mexicans, rapists, drug users and criminals. Racists in this country do not differentiate between Central and South Americans or Mexicans, they just use the word “Mexican.” Not only do Mexicans cross the border, but so do Salvadorians, Guatemalans, Dominicans, etc. The word Mexican is also used to describe anybody that looks Latino or has a Latino name, Yes, even those born in this country.

Univision decided to see principles as a priority instead of business and cut ties with Trump and Miss USA. Your answer, “we do not agree with his positions on a number of issues including his recent comments on immigration.” You did not cancel Miss USA, The Apprentice or even made reference to his hateful and divisive remarks. Not only that, but the only reason why you would not have him as head of The Apprentice would be because of his political aspirations, not because of his incendiary remarks in a country where violence against minorities and racism are still around daily.

I, like many others, am an immigrant and had immigrant ancestors that gave their heart and soul for this country. I have two Bachelor degrees and one Masters. There are also millions and millions of us that are reporters, police, entertainers, entrepreneurs, etc. Some even defend this country as part of the military! I am working for the community everyday as well as being an outstanding citizen. I am not a rapist, I have never taken drugs, and the worst thing I have ever done is going fast on the freeway from time to time. I am not worth $4.1 billion, but my people spend way more than that on your advertisers. We have a voice and we decide the future of this country.

Please cancel Miss USA, Miss Universe and the Apprentice. You are supporting a hateful and narcissistic individual without any kind of values, both personal and business wise. Not only that, but you are supporting a growing trend of bigotry and division in this country. Mr. Trump does not need to apologize anymore, which he will not according to his remarks after being dumped by Univision. He needs to be shown that his behavior belongs in the past before the civil rights movement. It is time for him and people like him, to join this century and work for this country, not against it. A large part of your audience is Hispanic and we watch NBC, NBC News, and Telemundo. How about looking out for us?

Shia Labeouf Gets Head & Kim Kardashian Can’t Get Enough Selfies: Celebrity Gossip

shia labouf head diddy, robert pattinson 2015 gossip imagesThis week’s celebrity gossip starts with the unfortunate incident that sent Jimmy Fallon to the hospital. He was at home when he cut his hand so badly he needed to have emergency surgery. Through the Tonight Show’s Twitter account it was announced that anyone who had tickets for that day’s taping would be given tickets to another taping instead.

jimmy fallon hospital rush 2015 gossipJessica Simpson‘s product line has reportedly become so successful that she now has plans to open up boutiques selling her line of products. She’ll have shop in L.A., Chicago and New York. Once those shops are established she is also opening a shop in Texas, where she grew up.

jessica simpson product hot 2015 gossipAfter claiming she is all about abstinence single mom Bristol Palin, who , just a few weeks ago, called off a wedding with her now ex-boyfriend. When she announced her pregnancy on her blog she stated that she is trying to keep her chin up throughout the pregnancy. She also stated that her calling off the wedding disappointed her family. One can only imagine that she called off the wedding because her former fiancé didn’t want to be a father or he was just simply not the biological father at all, which likely wouldn’t surprise anyone.

bristol palin pregnant ho 2015 gossipBad news for former Saved By The Bell star Dustin Diamond as a judge handed down a decision in which Diamond has to spend four months in jail. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon as well as disorderly conduct. After a Christmas day incident where he stabbed another man in a bar, Diamond maintains that he didn’t realize he hurt the man and said the man didn’t realize he was hurt either.

dustin diamon jail time 2015 gossipIn happier news, Jennifer Love Hewitt recently became the mother of a baby boy. Hewitt and her husband named their son Atticus James Hallisay.  Atticus is  now homewith mom, dad and his 18 month old sister Autum James.

jennifer love hewitt baby boy 2015 gossipShia Labeouf is nursing a head injury after a stunt gone wrong on the set of his latest movie American Honey. His head went through a glass window and his index finger as well as the left side of his head, was slashed. The injury required 13 staples and 20 stitches to fix it. The actor is now reportedly back at work.

shia labeouf gets head injury 2015 gossipProving how empty her head really is Kim Kardashian made sure to tell the world that even though some people think she takes too many selfies that she posts on Instagram, her account is used exactly how she wants it to be used. She admitted that the brands she is supposed to promote are often unhappy with her because she doesn’t post enough pictures that will advertise those brands. She even went so far as to state that when she enters into a business contract with any company use of her Instagram account is not included in that contract. Apparently posting selfies is much more important to her than promoting brands she endorses.

kim kardashian selfies 2015 gossipIn other Kim Kardashian gossip, being pregnant hasn’t exactly grounded her in California as she was seen recently dining with family at a restaurant in the South of France. She’s been in town due to a scheduled appearance at the Cannes Lions Festival.

kim kardashian south of france cannes 2015 gossipAmerica’s Got Talent viewers are disappointed that Howard stern is not returning as a judge (though some of us that don’t even watch this show are still happy to hear that.) Though America’s Got Talent has traditionally taped in California they relocated it to NYC to accommodate Howard Stern. His refusal to renew his contract with the show is expected to have it begin being taped in California once again.

howard stern off americas got talent 2015 gossipRobert Pattinson withdrew himself from appearing in Brimstone, so Kit Harington is taking over his role. After being involved in this acting project since February of this year it is not known why Robert Pattinson chose to back out. Robert Pattinson is currently wrapped up in the promotion of Queen of the Desert and filming both The Trap and The Lost City of Z.

robet pattinson out of brimstone 2015 gossipRapper Rick Ross is once again in trouble with the law after both himself and his bodyguard were served with a warrant. Ross is being accused of kidnapping as well as aggravated battery and assault after an incident that took place at his Atlanta mansion. This comes on the heels of an arrest in mid June on drug charges. He just came up with $2 million bond but he’s on a very tight legal leash. If he intimidates or threatens any witnesses, he’ll have to hand over his entire Holyfield property. He’ll be wearing some familiar jewelry in the form of the ankle monitor. He might as well just stay in the house as his temper keeps getting him in trouble.

rick ross kidnapping 2015 gossipMeryl Streep is making headlines for her efforts to have the U.S. Constitution amended to include equal rights for everyone. With 35 of the 50 states having ratified the amendment, Streep is now pushing for the remaining 15 states to do the same.  Through her quest to make this happen she has written letters to Congress and sent books as well. Finally; a celebrity who has a brain in her head and isn’t afraid to use it. What a contrast to the likes of Kim Kardashian.

meryl streep equal rights fighter 2015 gossipAfter P Diddy,Sean Combs, or whatever else he calls himself this week, made a spectacle and got himself arrested after engaging in a physical altercation with son Justin’s football coach, Justin has posted on Instagram in support of his hot headed dad. Justin posted a picture of himself and P Diddy and stated in the caption that his father is always there for him. P Diddy is soon scheduled to appear in court on felony charges, proving that he just can’t be a good role model for his son (though Justin seems too brainwashed to realize that.)

diddy arrested 2015 gossipIn sad celebrity news Dick Van Patten recently passed away. The 86 year old actor passed away in a Santa Monica hospital on June 23rd. The cause of death was reportedly due to type II diabetes and related complications. He had most recently appeared on the TV show Hot in Cleveland, with Betty White.

dick van patten rip 2015 gossipThe next Spiderman movie has been cast with 19 year old actor Tom Holland, who has appeared in Broadway musicals as well as movies such as The Impossible.

tom holland doing spiderman movie next 2015 gossip

Sacramento Kings: Willie Cauley-Stein Perfect for DeMarcus Cousins

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sacramento kings get willie cauley stein nba 2015With the 6th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings surprised the majority of basketball fans by selecting Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein while both Justice Winslow and Emmanuel Mudiay were still on the board.

Unlike Winslow and Mudiay, Cauley-Stein can’t lead this team from the offensive side of the ball. Instead, he is a defensive specialist who can play from the paint all the way out to the three-point line without a problem and has proven multiple times that he can guard just about anyone in the game at any position.

That’s cool, but the Kings need a lot more than that. So why’d they take him? After all, Cauley-Stein wasn’t really slated as a No. 6 overall kinda guy; he was expected to go more in the early teens, maybe slip in at No. 9 or 10 if lucky. Honestly, the Kings probably could have traded down with the Charlotte Hornets or Miami Heat and still acquired the big man.

The reason the Kings feel that Cauley-Stein was worthy of being selected at 6th overall is simple—DeMarcus Cousins wants to play with the kid.

Well, Cousins got his wish. Really, he has the Kings and owner Vivek Ranadive wrapped around his finger at this point.

Things have been a bit rocky lately between Cousins and the Kings. It all started back in February when rumors began swirling that the Kings hired George Karl as their head coach. Mike Malone had been let go earlier in the season, and Tyron Corbin had been acting as the interim coach while the Kings searched for a new one. Cousins was publicly upset by the hiring:

“I wasn’t consulted when the decision was made to fire Mike Malone, and I’m not being consulted now,” said the All-Star. “I just hope they make a decision soon and stick with it. George Karl is an experience, prove coach and if that is who they chose to coach this team, I will support it. I do not like all these discussions in the media while we have a coach in place. It is a distraction and not fair to coach Corbin and this team.”

Things really haven’t gotten any better since then. It’s just been an absolutely mess in Sac-Town. Karl tried to push Cousins—the team-leader in points, rebounds, and steals—out, Ranadive made it clear that wouldn’t happen, Cousins said he wanted a trade, Ranadive threatened to fire Karl, and then finally told Cousins’ agent to look for a trade if he wants (because he’s not going to accept one). It’s just getting silly. I mean, you’re really going to fire Karl before he has a chance to coach his first game for the team?

That’s why drafting Cauley-Stein was the only option for the Kings. Cousins made it clear that he wants Cauley-Stein on the team so he won’t have to lead the team on both ends. Cousins has never played with an elite defender, so he is definitely looking forward to the opportunity.

The Kings have proven to be just fine on offense with Cousins and Rudy Gay, but the team finished 27th overall in defense. Honestly, the added benefit of possibly encouraging Cousins to remain in Sacramento should have been just another reason for the Kings to draft Cauley-Stein.

So, no. The Kings were not looking for a replacement for Cousins, and they certainly won’t find one in Willie Cauley-Stein. Instead, this draft was the Kings last ditch effort to keep their superstar in place despite interest from multiple teams and trade offers already coming in from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Who knows, maybe adding a rim protector will blind DeMarcus Cousins from the fact that he would be much better off playing just about anywhere else.

Sherri Shepherd Stewed & Josh Duggar Sued: Celebrity Gossip Roundup

josh duggar ben affleck sherri shepherd diddy gossip 2015 imagesToday in our celebrity gossip roundup, we have very sad divorce news with Ben Affleck and Josh Duggar’s victim finally will get her day in court. I can only what the Republicans will do to destroy her.

ben affleck jennifer garner divorce 2015 gossip Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck Calling it Quits

I don’t know about you, but my little heart is broken with the fact that these two are calling it quits. When I heard the rumor that it was going down about a month ago, I didn’t want to believe it because ya know… I wanted to believe that love can last and that things can be worked out in the land of the rich and famous. But alas, sometimes that is just not the case.

Thus it has finally been announced that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are divorcing. Many sources have even reported that they have been separated almost a year ago. There are so many reasons why these two are ending their ten-year marriage, and we will never know. It is unfortunate to say the least and the thing that really sucks for them about it too is that the media is not going to let them rest. They are going to be all up in their shit trying to get the details of what really caused the break up.

I guess that’s just what happens when you are famous.

sherri shepherd alimony to sally 2015 gossip Sherri Shepherd Settles Divorce

The verdict is in and Sherri Shepherd has not only finalized her divorce from Lamar Sally, she has to pay support to him for the child that she swears up and down she was tricked into having (via a surrogate) with him.

Sherri has been ordered to pay $4,000 a month in support even though she has no
“connection” with the child who she has  “disavowed since birth.” The basis of her lawsuit is fraud on the part of Sally since she believes that he wanted a baby with her just so he can get child support. Talk about reversal of roles.

The funny thing too (or at least it is funny to me) there are some frozen embryos in storage that she wants destroyed which Sally is against because… idk… maybe he wants to bring more babies into the world. Who the hell does that? Either way, according to the settlement, Sherri will not be financially responsible for any other kids that come from the frozen embryos

You really picked a winner with this one Sherri. Another funny thing is that after having so many abortions Shepherd says her ‘religion’ made her go pro-life so killing all those embryos is part of your religion…or just when it’s convenient like all those abortions you got?

I’m all for women having a choice to make, but I’m not for those women who preach pro-life up and down the aisle, but then turn around and do the opposite when it suits them. This women is just one big hypocrite and eventually she’ll be just a distant memory in the entertainment industry.

josh duggar molesting girls victim court date 2015 gossipJosh Duggar To Be Sued by Molestation Victim

It was bound to happen and now is a good of a time as any I guess. According to an anonymous report, thanks to good old Arkansas law, one of the victims molested by Josh Duggar is filing a civil lawsuit against him. And because of something called statue of limitations, which has expired, he nor anyone else involved in the situation…ahem… his parents… can plead the fifth or deny what happened.

This has the potential to reveal some very damaging evidence that could be the last nail in the coffin of the Duggar’s fame saga.

diddy arrest hurting deals 2015 gossipDiddy to Lose Deals Over Recent Arrest

Diddy has had a hell of a couple of weeks, right? He’s fighting college football coaches, falling into trap doors on awards shows and now, he could possibly lose some major partnerships because of his recent arrest.

That’s what the word out on the street right now. It is no secret that he is the brand ambassador for Ciroc vodka and DeLeon Tequila. Well, according to Rhymes with Snitch, thanks to his fighting, he may lose this multimillion-dollar deal with them.

It has something to do with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms forbidding anyone from having a liquor license if they have been convicted of a felony within the last five years of receiving one. And it just so happens that a felony is exactly what Diddy was charged with. Oh and he was also charged making terrorist threats.

I am not sure how a felony will affect him being the face of the brands, but there is still a possibility, apparently, that he could lose some dough due to the incident.

UCLA does not plan to press charges, which in and of itself is interesting because if it were anyone else, you best believe there would be a different ending to this story.

cuba knock out mother to baby hiv 2015 gossipCuba Eliminates HIV Mother to Child Transmission

According to the World Health Organization, Cuba is the first country to eliminate the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child.

“Eliminating transmission of a virus is one of the greatest public health achievements possible,” said Margaret Chan, WHO’s director general, in a statement. “This is a major victory in our long fight against HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and an important step towards having an AIDS-free generation.”

This is truly an amazing accomplishment and one that definitely deserves some shine. In a world and age where all we can seem to talk about are superfluous things, hearing news like this gives humanity hope.

Atlanta Hawks Budenholzer & Wilcox Lose DeMarre Carroll To Toronto Raptors

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hawks lose demarre carroll to toronto raptors nfl 2015 imagesJust like that, after one great season the Atlanta Hawks have suffered a major setback — DeMarre Carroll has agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Toronto Raptors.

“I just felt like this was the best opportunity,” Carroll said. “They are a playoff team and they said they can’t get past the first round. They feel like having me, the way I performed last year in the playoffs, will help them get past the first round. It’s a great opportunity for me. I really excited to play alongside DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.”

Carroll also had meetings scheduled with the Pistons and Suns but canceled them after agreeing with the Raptors.

You know things in Atlanta are going south when people start leaving for Canada. Now, less than 24 hours into free agency, the Hawks seem to be the latest franchise suffering from a problem that consumes many team that do well but not well enough to win it all.

The Hawks finished 60-22 this season with the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite all the nay-sayers, they made it past the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, earning themselves a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals where LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled them.

Of course, after the Hawks were swept, there was a call to break up the team. It happens every season, and there is not real explanation for it. The last thing the Hawks want to do is split up. Under head coach Mike Budenholzer, this team did absolutely fantastic. It’s been one year. Stick it out, and hope for a better outcome with an extra year of experience under your belts (or headbands) next season.

Easier said than done for newly-named Presidential Coach of Whatever He Wants to Do Mike Budenholzer and General Manager Wes Wilcox certainly had their work cut out for them with both DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap up for grabs this offseason.

The duo already royally screwed up the 2015 NBA Draft by trading away a potential replacement for Carroll in Kelly Oubre for Tim Hardaway Jr. The only beneficial aspect of the trade was that it saved a little bit of cap room not having to sign a 1st round pick. Cap room they could use to keep Carroll and Millsap!

Yeah, that didn’t work out in the Hawks’ favor either. The old GM may have been a closet racist, but at least he put together a 60 win team. Bud is only making things more difficult for himself.

If the Hawks fail to bring back Millsap, Bud will have twice as many questions to answer: half as the President who failed to retain a single star free agent, and half as a coach whose team will take a drastic step back in the 2015-2016 season.