Single-malt Scotch and Irish whiskey are the latest items getting ensnared in the U.S.'s trade wars. The spirits from Scotland and Ireland are among the latest European products that President Donald Trump's administration has proposed hitting with import duties, according to a list posted Monday by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. That threatens to hit industries that count American whiskey lovers as their largest foreign market. The potential retaliatory tariffs are part of a long-running trans-Atlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies. With American corn-based bourbon already subject to a 25% tariff in the EU, the new levies in the U.S. mean that spirits fans on both side of the Atlantic could now be paying more for imported whiskey. Scotland shipped $1.31 billion of whiskey to the U.S. last year, its highest-value export market, according to figures from the Scotch Whisky Association. North America also accounted for 45% of global sales of Irish whiskey last year, according to Ireland's whiskey group. "U.S. companies -- from farmers, to suppliers to retailers -- are already being negatively impacted by the imposition of retaliatory tariffs by key trading partners on certain U.S. distilled spirits resulting from other trade disputes, and these additional tariffs will only inflict further harm," the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said in a statement. Since last year's imposition of EU tariffs on U.S. whiskey, American exports to the region have dropped 18%, according to the group. The impact at American bars ultimately depends on what level of tariffs are applied, said Maria Castroviejo, a senior analyst at Rabobank. Price increases for mainstream drinks may spur consumers to sip on a different liquor instead. More premium products, like single-malt whiskey, are already relatively expensive and may take less of a hit, she said. Related video: US threatens EU with tariffs on $4 billion worth of goods (provided by Newsy) --With assistance from Denitsa Tsekova.


Tight end Ryan Griffin is looking for a new team after being released by the Texans this month, but he won't have criminal charges hanging over his head as he continues that search. Griffin was arrested in Nashville during last month's draft and charged with vandalism and public intoxication after he allegedly punched out a front window of a hotel. Police said he was arrested rather than given a citation because of how intoxicated he was when they responded to a call from hotel security. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that those charges were dismissed on Friday at a settlement conference. Griffin will have to pay $195 in court costs. Griffin was released by the Texans on May 17. He had 136 catches for 1,491 yards and seven touchdowns over six seasons with the team.


The complex process that has taken shape since the Texans fired Brian Gaine still leaves the franchise without a GM, and, as of now at least, it looks like the Patriots will need to prepare for a front office shakeup in 2020. Although the Texans are no longer pursuing top GM target Nick Caserio, and the Patriots have since dropped the tampering charges , the longtime Pats player personnel director is reportedly prepared to leave New England after his contract expires in 2020. The Texans are considering going without a GM this year , likely in hopes of landing Caserio next year, but they obviously run the risk of another potentially GM-needy team swooping in for the long-coveted executive. Caserio may not be the only Pats exec on the market. Patriots college scouting director Monti Ossenfort's contract is believed to be up after this year as well, Albert Breer of SI.com notes . The Patriots made the unusual move to block Ossenfort from what would have been a major promotion last year, when the Texans requested to meet with both he and Caserio for the GM job that went to Gaine. Ossenfort has been with the Patriots for 15 years, having served in his current position for five. The report about Caserio's Patriots contract containing language that forbids him from meeting with another team , due to a raise the team gave him at some point, appears to be accurate. Not only does Caserio's contract have this clause, but the Patriots offered a similar deal to members of their scouting department to try to keep the group intact, Breer adds . The Texans opted not to challenge this clause and thus take on Robert Kraft. Another possible reason for the Patriots blocking Caserio from becoming the Texans' GM: executive VP Jack Easterby's situation. Easterby left the Patriots to take a job with the Texans earlier this year and did so in part because Kraft was charged in the Florida prostitution sting, Breer reports. The ex-pastor and former Patriots character coach has become a key organizational voice early in his Houston tenure. Both he and Bill O'Brien have extensive Caserio ties. The Texans have not conducted any GM interviews since the Caserio mess began, and Breer expects O'Brien to spend a year essentially running the team. Player personnel director Matt Bazirgan and college scouting director James Liipfert join Easterby as key Texans executives whose roles would stand to grow in a GM-less year.


Erik Jones remains the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver without a win this season and the only one in danger of missing the playoffs. Jones, however, believes he has a perfect opportunity this weekend to change both. in this race one year ago, which locked him in the playoffs and help produce a solid sophomore season. Entering Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400, Jones is the first driver outside the 16-driver playoff grid based on points. or worse four times, including getting caught up in an early wreck in the Coca-Cola 600. "Some of what has happened has been our own fault. Phoenix, we had a loose wheel to start the race, blow a tire, get in the wall, ruins our day. Charlotte, we blow a right front; whether that is our fault or not, I don't know," Jones said. "There is Bristol, loose wheel, go three laps down. There have been so many races where you take yourself out it. That's what you can't do in this sport and try to make the playoffs." Returning to Daytona A repeat victory at Daytona would ensure he would join his JGR teammates in the playoffs, but he will also take an invite gaining entry through points   something he and crew chief Chris Gayle have discussed quite a bit. "I think for us our goal is 30 points a race. That's about a seventh-place finish. If we can do that every week, we will easily point our way in without a win," he said. "We know we can win a race. "We have a lot of good tracks coming up here. Kentucky is good to us, and a few more along the way, going back to Bristol. If we can continue to crank out that 30 points a race, guys will make mistakes, and we will keep pointing our way up there. "Really our year, we have missed out on so many stage points. It has killed us. Just some things that we could have done a little better and earned more points in some races." Superspeedway success Jones has been a strong superspeedway racer in his relatively brief Cup series career and one of his third-place runs this season came in the season-opening Daytona 500. Saturday night's race at Daytona, however, is the first race at the track with NASCAR's new aero package, which may change the racing on the track. "Early in my career, (superspeedway racing) drove me crazy because I wasn't very good at it. I didn't understand it. I felt like I was always the victim," Jones said. "As much of it that is out of your control, it is also in your control. "Just knowing better, situationally, becoming more aware on superspeedways on what situations you don't want to be in. It helped me a lot. I learned more about the draft, how to position yourself, where you need to be at certain points of the race. Learning all those things have helped me enjoy it more. Learning more about it and having to figure out how to be better at it. I don't think any driver likes things they aren't good at. Eventually, I have really come to enjoy it."


With minicamp having come to a close, the next major event on the Tennessee Titans schedule is training camp. The team enjoys a long break for now, but will get back to work when training camp begins next month. The first day of practice will be held at St. Thomas Sports Park on July 26, with rookies, quarterbacks and injured players required to report on July 22. Veterans are set to join in on July 25. The first practice open to fans will be held on July 27. There will also be an open practice in Nissan Stadium on Aug. 3. It's important to note the Titans will not have a scrimmage at Centennial High School in 2019 due to a scheduling issue. The team will hold joint practices with the New England Patriots, who they play in Week 2 of the preseason this year. The Titans will release more information on that as they continue to move through the offseason and finalize plans. Expect the team to release more details specific to fans in the coming weeks, as training camp looms 41 days away. MORE: Kawhi Leonard joked about his looming free agency decision with Kyle Lowry This is how the Golden State Warriors head into the offseason Lonzo Ball posts cryptic message on Instagram amid trade rumors Rapoport: Broncos have picked successor to become next owner What Tim Duncan told LeBron James after Spurs beat Cavs in 2007 NBA Finals


BALTIMORE, MD   The waters are just starting to warm up, but two anglers were recently recognized for landing record fish in Maryland waters. A Delaware man who brought in a "monster" rare white hake off the coast of Ocean City, and a Baltimore man who snagged a record bullhead catfish are now in the record books, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Brian Gay of Millsboro, Delaware, was fishing for sea bass in roughly 280 feet of water 50 miles off the coast in Poor Man's Canyon when he felt the bite. He caught the 16.71-pound white hake using a "top-and-bottom" two-hook rig with a 16-ounce sinker, and clam bait. "I had no idea what it was," Gay said in a DNR news release, noting that he and his companions thought what they had was a world record red hake, which is similar in appearance. A department biologist counted scales and examined the fish's eye and jaw structure. Once officially identified as a white hake   Urophycis tenuis   the department added the species to its official record book. "The species is recognized by several northern states as well as the International Game Fish Association so it should distinguished as a state record in Maryland, " Recreational Fishing Outreach Coordinator Erik Zlokovitz said in a news release. And a Baltimore City angler has been awarded the Maryland state non-tidal fishing record for catching a 4.9-pound bullhead catfish. Nick Palese, 32, caught the bullhead catfish May 18 along Big Gunpowder Falls in Baltimore County. Palese was kayak fishing for largemouth bass in about five feet of water when he got a strong bite. Palese told the DNR he thought at first he'd caught the "bass of a lifetime." After fighting with the fish more than three minutes, he hauled in a bullhead catfish. Several onlookers told him it was "the biggest bullhead they'd ever seen." The DNR maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions   Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal and Invasive   and awards plaques to anglers who achieve record catches. Fish caught from privately-owned, fee-fishing waters are ineligible for consideration. Anglers who think they have a potential record catch should download and fill out a state record application and call 443-569-1381 or 410-260-8325. The department suggests fish be immersed in ice water to preserve weight until it can be checked, confirmed and certified.


S haking off its reputation as Paris's rough-and-tumble southern cousin, Marseille is attracting both foreigners and French natives in droves. Young creatives are flocking to the seaside city, viewing it as an exciting, inspiring alternative to hustle-driven Paris . "The person who moves to Marseille comes here so he doesn't have to work 10 hours a day to pay the rent," says Francois Issaverdens, a native Parisian who relocated to Marseille from Vienna a year and a half ago, not long after visiting for the first time. "You can feel balanced here. You can choose the rhythm of your own life. . . . I fell in love." I can relate to this feeling of discovery. During a trip to Marseille this past fall, I fell hard for the sun-drenched city while wandering the sloping streets from the Vieux Port to the Cours Julien, reveling in its cacophony of sounds and smells and its riot of street art. As a food writer with a serious case of wanderlust, I've eaten al pastor in Mexico City, harvested olives in Umbria, navigated markets in Cairo, partaken in Eid al-Fitr feasts in Indonesia, and slurped ramen in back alleys in Kyoto. Marseille, with its mix of North and West African, Asian, and French cultures; rich history; and new energy was clearly a place I had to get to know better. Pour commencer Of course, claiming any sort of "discovery" is misleading Marseille was founded by the Greeks in 600 B.C.E. and, with a population of more than 800,0000, is France's second largest city. "Marseille used to have a bad reputation for being dirty and dangerous," says Laurent Boissy, who, along with his wife, Constance, is a French citizen and lived in the city for seven years. "But in the past 10 years, [it] has undergone a huge transformation. A new tramway has made the city more accessible, and there have been programs to update many of the old buildings." Despite these changes, Marseille remains a city of immigrants. The port has been a major hub of the Mediterranean since the city was founded, which has led to a continuous mixing of cultures, cuisines, and ways of life. Today, this diversity is integrated into nearly every part of the city. It's in stark contrast to Paris, where many immigrant and minority groups are sequestered in far-flung suburbs . And unlike in Paris, the Vieux Port, the long-standing city center, is still a place for locals, according to Issaverdens. It runs directly into Noailles, a heavily North African neighborhood, which is down the hill from Cours Julien, a street-art bedecked hipster haven. These walkable, central areas are excellent places to begin your explorations, but consider this just the beginning there are infinite layers of this rich, colorful city by the sea for you to discover on your own. [Editor's Note: Some of our favorite spots in Marseille don't have much of an online presence. However, they can still be found on Google Maps or by asking a local!] Where to eat The best way to experience this melting pot? By eating your way through Marseille's many cuisines, which go far beyond bouillabaisse, the city's iconic fish stew. Start in Noailles at Toinou , a sleek-yet-simple seafood destination. Scope the daily catch in the cases on the sidewalk, then order your pick raw oysters, sea urchin, or whole fried sardines at the counter, preferably with a carafe of the house rosé. Up the street is Chez Yassine , a long-standing institution for flavor-packed Tunisian fare (the ojja merguez, a saucy egg-tomato-sausage breakfast, is outstanding); stop in at its equally good takeaway sandwich shop across the street (spice lovers should ask for " beaucoup d'harissa, s'il vous plait ") and bring your meal down to the waterfront. Also in Noailles: Restaurant Le Femina , a lushly appointed restaurant renowned for its couscous; Boulangerie Patisserie Noailles , home to the single best croissant nature this writer has ever tasted; and Epicerie L'Idéale , a carefully curated gourmet food shop and globally inspired café opened by Julia Sammut, cofounder of France's cool-kids travel guide, Le Fooding . Luckily, a wander around Noailles will surely work up an appetite thanks to a high concentration of detour-worthy spice shops and souk-style open air markets. Head east on the Rue d'Aubagne to Mama Africa Marseille for savory, filling spreads of Senegalese yassa  rich, garlicky chicken or fish topped with copious amounts of buttery, lemon-heavy onions and whole pan-fried fish. Still hungry? Try Aspara for Cambodian food, La Boite a Sardine for fresh takes on local seafood (like razor clams with lemon and cilantro, served with fried chickpea-flour panisse cake), and Pizzas Charly for slices from one of Marseille's famous pizza trucks. And don't miss Restaurant Chez Michel for, yes, the most classic of bouillabaisse. Where to drink With the abundance of craft beer, natural wine, and of course, pastis, the cloudy, anise-flavored lifeblood of Marseille, there's never a bad time for an aperitif here. Start your imbibing at Café de l'Abbaye , a simple storefront with tables spilling into the street, with an alfresco beer or a glass of Provencal rosé and views of the waterfront. Later in the evening, nearby U.percut is an excellent choice for a whiskey with a side of live music. Take your pastis know-how to the next level at L'Alchimiste , a cozy tapas bar with a charming back garden and a wide selection of small-batch pastis from all over France, each featuring different flavor profiles and secret recipes. Nearby Planete Livre offers an impressive selection of natural wine for sale and regularly changing by-the-glass options; up the street, order a French craft beer at WAAW , which has a funky, gallery vibe. More options to quench your thirst: Le Bar de la Plaine and Le Champ de Mars for old-school aperitif scenes or Le Pas Sage for a new-school Marseillaise-style salon. Where to wander Your food and drink explorations will take you far, but there's so much more to stop and see in Marseille. Cours Julien is bursting with colorful murals and street art, starting from the Escaliers Julien , a graffiti-covered staircase that leads to the hip neighborhood's main square. Stop during your ascent to check out gallery L'Antre de Monde , which showcases a different artist each month and, depending on the time of day or night, might have live music or a DJ. Once in the Cours Julien, you'll find a wealth of boutiques and shops check out Marcel et Simone and LILOU for stellar vintage clothing finds for both men and women and record stores, including Galette Records , Sabre-Tooth , and Tangerine Marseille . Librairie Pascal Fauguet Xavier Zimmer is a gem for used and rare books. (I scored a copy of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic Le Petit Prince in local Provencal dialect.) Get a feeling for old-school Marseille at Maison Empereur in Noailles; the expansive, jack-of-all-trades department store, open since 1827, sells high-quality French knives, cookware, hardware, antique toys, fine linens, perfumes, and more. The beaches of this seaside town are well worth visiting when the sun is shining (which is often). And the region's famous Parc National des Calanques encompasses a 20-mile stretch of jagged limestone cliffs studded with small, crystalline bays and runs from Marseille to Cassis. It's an excellent place for hiking and kayaking activities sure to make you hungry. Finalement Marseille has no shortage of hotels, including the Moroccan-inspired Le Ryad Boutique Hotel and Alex Hotel & Spa , and renting an apartment is a great way to experience the city like a local. But for a truly standout experience, stay at Maison Empereur's "rear shop," an apartment for rent that features antique furnishings, a double bedroom and living room, and an antique bathtub for candlelit soaks. RELATED VIDEO: With These Wildly Unique American Hotels, Who Needs to Go Abroad? (via Buzz60)


The 49ers, less than a month before their season opener against the Vikings, can use a new plan. For starters, I would request a delay, an appeal to the NFL for more time. "Sorry, but we're not ready," the proposal begins. "Have you noticed what's happened to us?" The idea has merit. Owner Jed York could ask for a sabbatical. Take a year off, climb to the top of a mountain in the Far East and meditate. Maybe find a few offensive linemen along the way. Thankful for the break, the 49ers will come out swinging in 2016. You think Commissioner Roger Goodell would buy it? OK, back to earth. This daydream was brought to you by Saving the 49ers For the Future. Because the present doesn't look promising. No, it looks downright depressing. The 49ers logged arguably the worst offseason in the history of offseasons. Had someone asked, "How can it get worse?", the 49ers would have answered, "Watch us." Although he (Aldon Smith) won't be playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, he will not have to walk this path alone. 49ers coach Jim Tomsula An ugly feud between coach Jim Harbaugh and the front office. The 8-8 soap opera to break in Levi's Stadium. The not-so-mutual exit of Harbaugh and one of the NFL's elite coaching staffs. York's talking about "winning with class" while the team couldn't keep itself off the police blotter. After a while, you felt Bill Walsh spinning in his grave as the season downsized - blowing a lead to the Bears on Levi's official opening night, fumbling on the 1 to give away a game to the Rams, and a humiliating loss to the Seahawks on Thanksgiving night while York apologized in embarrassment. Another Super Bowl run, a fitting goal for a team that reached a Super Bowl and three consecutive NFC Championship Games degenerated into a dumpster fire of grief. Heck, the 49ers still haven't proven they can grow grass in their new house. The fallout has been staggering. Much of the roster disintegrated via attrition, injuries, retirements and a catch-all category we'll label "Get me out of here!" Let's list the departed 49ers just for effect: Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Mike Iupati, Michael Crabtree, Aldon Smith, Chris Borland, Ray McDonald, Anthony Davis, Chris Culliver, Dan Skuta, Andy Lee and Chris Cook. Aldon Smith's fifth arrest Friday, which led to his release, widened an already gaping wound. In short, the 49ers lost the guts of a team that averaged 11 wins a season under Harbaugh and fell 5 yards short of a Super Bowl title. The 49ers' response to their crisis? They hired Jim Tomsula, the former coach of NFL Europe's Rhein Fire, to succeed Harbaugh. They promoted their defensive-line coach to anchor one of the league's most glamorous franchises. Tomsula introduced himself with a fumbling and at times incoherent news conference. Critics chirped that the team replaced Jean-Claude Van Damme with Barney Fife, and objective observers couldn't disagree. Tomsula's staff lacks the football street cred of Harbaugh's. Every box the 49ers check points them toward a 6-10 season or worse. The first sliver of sunlight, however, beamed through the clouds Friday. Tomsula, emotional and misty-eyed, struck the proper tone as he took the hit alone for Aldon Smith. He vowed the 49ers, though they cut the troubled pass rusher, will help him. More important, Tomsula embodied all the things the 49ers used to stand for - poise under duress, an agenda in place and a determination to do the right thing. "Although he (Smith) won't be playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, he will not have to walk this path alone," Tomsula said. He spoke from the heart and his compassion was genuine at a place - an NFL podium - often devoid of genuine words. For the first time, a thought occurred: Tomsula might possess leadership qualities perfect for a team thrust into rebuild mode. For 49ers fans hoping for something short of a total calamity this fall, here's another tiny dose of encouragement: No games were played in recent months. The NFL doesn't award points for "winning the news conference." It doesn't value artistic expression. It only counts the points on the scoreboard and separates the winners from the losers. Alas, an extended holiday is not in play. Colin Kaepernick will receive the snap from center Sept. 14 while an exasperated fan base watches anxiously. Only then will we know the depths of the 49ers' demise. Ron Agostini: 209-578-2302, ragostini@modbee.com, @ModBeeSports


Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that unsettled midfielder Paul Pogba can have the 'new challenge' he is seeking this summer if he stays Old Trafford, also confirming that the club have so far had no offers for the 2018 World Cup winner. Pogba has been heavily linked with Real Madrid and both he and agent Mino Raiola have publicly spoken a desire to move after three years with United. But the club are standing firm - the latest from Marca states they are holding out for €200m (£181m) before considering a sale. The player in particular expressed hope of a 'new challenge', but Solskjaer is certain that Pogba will actually get that if he stays at a changing United . "I've not been upset by anything he's said because we've had many conversations and I know exactly what Paul is thinking. I can give him a new challenge," the United boss told the Daily Mail . The media have been keen to jump on anything that could be a sign Pogba is leaving, or at least angling for a move - the reporting on his 'glum' expression as he boarded the plane to Australia for United's pre-season tour earlier this month is one example. But, as far as Solskjaer is concerned, Pogba's attitude remains perfectly professional. "I've said many times about Paul that he's a top, top boy and a great player and he's never, ever been a problem. When we get him playing as he did when I came in, and if we get him playing like that again, he will win you over," Solskjaer explained. "I can't dive into all this and hypothetical questions and all that. But we've not had offers. I can say the same about whichever player. If we don't get an offer for a player we would have to pay them out for them not to be here, don't we, so we haven't had offers." As for other comings and goings. United remain linked with central midfielders Sean Longstaff and Bruno Fernandes as they seek a replacement for the departed Ander Herrera, but Solskjaer is confident that Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira will get more games in 2019/20. "Andreas I expect a lot more from, Scotty I expect a lot more from," the Norwegian said. "Those two between them had maybe 15-20 starts last season. You expect them to have at least 20 each this season maybe even more. That's maybe two players into one that can replace Ander." And on Alexis Sanchez , who has failed to justify his enormous contract since joining United from Arsenal and has been linked with a move away, Solskjaer is planning for the season with him. "At the moment, yes I am [planning for him to be here]," he explained. "I will have to help [Sanchez get back to his best]. I've just answered a question here that you can't spoon feed them. They've got to come in and grab their chances and Alexis is quality and he showed it in the Copa America. Then he got his injury. "I don't think it's too bad so I'm hoping he will be available for maybe Kristiansund or AC Milan so he will at least get some football before the season starts."


FIFA has confirmed the dates for the 2019 Club World Cup in Qatar, with the annual tournament for the champions of each continent to take place between 11 and 21 December. As Champions League winners representing UEFA, Liverpool will get automatic passage to the semi-final stage and will therefore not play their first game until 18 December. The 2019 Copa Libertadores winners from South America will get a bye to the other semi final, with the identity of the club unknown until the CONMEBOL competition concludes in November. Mexican club Monterrey, CONCACAF Champions League winners, Hienghene Sport from New Caledonia, winners of the OFC Champions League, are the only other confirmed qualifiers. As well as the aforementioned South America, representatives from Africa (CAF) and Asia (AFC) will also be confirmed at a later date. The ongoing status of the AFC Champions League also means that Qatari club Al Sadd's participation is not yet confirmed. The reigning champions of the host nation normally play in the first round, but should a team from Qatar win the Champions League it would change things. In that scenario, a Qatari club would enter the second round as AFC champions instead and the runner-up of the AFC Champions League would be placed into the Club World Cup first round. The final will be held on 21 December, but the stadium and time is yet to be confirmed. Liverpool currently have a Premier League fixture against West Ham scheduled for the same date that would have to be postponed, with manager Jurgen Klopp recently complaining about the enormous fixture demands on his players. The Reds were narrowly beaten to the 'world champions' title by Brazilian side Sao Paulo, the last time they played in the FIFA Club World Cup back in 2005.


It's 3,459 miles from New York City to London. The current flying time is around seven hours. That's an average speed of just under 500 miles per hour. At an altitude of 35,000 feet above sea level, the speed of sound is 660 mph, and the last flight of a commercial plane at supersonic speed occurred in 2003. Now a new startup wants to cut the flight time from New York to London to a mere 90 minutes. To do that, the company plans to build a plane that can fly at about 3,300 mph, which is five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5. That's hypersonic speed. Earlier this week, the company, Hermeus, announced a first (seed) round of funding led by Khosla Ventures. No amount was specified, but we can be reasonably certain it's not going to be the last funding round that Hermeus will seek. Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, said, "Hermeus is developing an aircraft that not only improves the aviation experience with very reduced flight times, but also has the potential to have great societal and economic impact." The company is the latest entrant in the race to high-speed flight. It is also the only one setting its sights on hypersonic speeds of more than Mach 5. A Nevada-based aerospace company, Aerion, was founded in 2003 and earlier this year received a "significant" investment from Boeing to continue development of a supersonic transport capable of a top speed of about Mach 1.4 (1,100 mph). The company already has taken an order for 20 of its 12-passenger supersonic business jets, scheduled for delivery in 2023. Another entrant in the supersonic sweepstakes is Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which has raised a total of $141 million in venture funding, according to Crunchbase. The company's plane, dubbed the Overture, is expected to reach speeds of Mach 2.2 (about 1,450 mph) and seat 55 passengers. A flight from New York to London on the company's plane would take less than half the time of the current flight. The company expects to have the plane ready for sale in the middle of the next decade and has received combined orders for 30 from Virgin Group and Japan Airlines. This could be among the biggest product launches of the year . Skyler Shuford, chief operating officer of Hermeus, told Ars Technica that the Overture will rely "mostly on existing technology and materials." The propulsion system will be based on a combined-cycle turbine engine, and the primary material for the plane will be titanium. The company plans to use the new investment over the next five years to develop a demonstrator aircraft that can fly at Mach 5. Hermeus plans to have aircraft available for commercial service in eight to 10 years. Maybe more of them can service the most popular international flights .


ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was arrested on corruption charges on Monday in a blow to the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party over what media said was an investigation into false bank accounts and money laundering. Zardari, widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-corruption body's spokesman, Nawazish Ali, said. Local media channels said NAB arrested Zardari over its investigation into bank accounts and money laundering, with Zardari's sister, Faryal Talpur, also being investigated. The former president and Talpur could not be reached for comment but they have always denied any wrongdoing linked to those cases and the PPP says the cases are politically motivated. "The government has no role in (the arrest)," interior minister Ejaz Shah told parliament, saying it was a court decision. "This is done by NAB. Our government has nothing to do with it." Zardari spent 11 years in jail on corruption and murder charges before becoming president in 2008. But he was never convicted and denies any wrongdoing. After his arrest on Monday, Zardari was seen leaving his house in Islamabad with his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the current leader of the PPP in which Zardari still wields vast influence. During Zardari's departure, PPP supporters chanted "Long live Bhutto," in reference to one of South Asia's most famed political dynasties that has ruled Pakistan on several occasions over the past five decades. A former businessman and a polo-playing playboy in his younger days, Zardari swept to power in 2008 following a wave of sympathy following the murder of his wife, Benazir, a two-time premier, by Islamist militants in a suicide attack.


This past week, former Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin retired from the NFL after an underrated 10-year career. After spending his first four years with the Houston Texans, Quin left for Detroit in free agency and put together a six-year campaign that saw him make the Pro Bowl in 2014 after he led the league with seven interceptions. Of his career, Quin amassed 24 interceptions, 19 of them coming when he was wearing Honolulu blue. Recently, the Lions' media department produced a video featuring every one of them. You can see that video, featuring all 19 interceptions shown in chronological order, below: Highlights include: His first interception as a Lion sealed the victory over the Minnesota Vikings. With just over three minutes left in the game in New Orleans, the Saints held a six-point lead and Drew Brees was running out the clock. Then Quin baited him, picking the ball off and setting up a game-winning Matthew Stafford to Corey Fuller touchdown. His one-hand pick while sliding out-of-bounds against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was an absolute gem. Quin's interception of Matt Ryan in Week 3 of the 2017 season was a textbook illustration of how to play safety in the NFL. The fact that he returned it for a score was the icing on the cake. MORE: Poker player loses brutal 31 million chip hand with pocket aces at 2019 WSOP Main Event The perfect storm: Andre Iguodala a possible return to the Warriors News: Indefinite suspensions rule day for Cowboys, 18-game seasons Three Potential Landing Spots for Chris Paul WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes throws football nearly out of Arrowhead Stadium


WASHINGTON   A limited U.S. strike on Iran of the sort President Donald Trump says he cancelled Thursday night could prompt a potent Iranian reaction that in turn might spark a much larger military conflict, current and former U.S. officials and experts tell NBC News. Iran could do enormous damage to the global economy by mining the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway off its coast through which flows 40 percent of the crude oil traded internationally. That action, even if quickly countered by the U.S. Navy, would cause oil prices to spike. But that may not be Iran's first move in response to a limited American bomb and missile attack, experts say. Iran would likely first turn to its proxies , who could inflict major damage on American allies, experts say. Houthi rebels in Yemen could step up attacks against Saudi Arabian infrastructure with missiles and drones. Shiite militias could destabilize Iraq. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist organization, could attack Israel or other American interests anywhere in the world. And if Iran wanted to kill Americans, any of those groups could do that on its behalf, with some deniability, said the experts. Shiite militias could overrun the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and seize hostages. Hezbollah, which, before 9/11, had killed more Americans than any other terror group, could strike in places as far flung as Latin America, where the group has a strong presence. "Traditionally, when faced with this sort of American action, Iran doesn't tend to respond directly and immediately, but they do so asymmetrically and over a period of time," said Ray Takeyh, a former State Department official and Iran expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. President Trump said in a tweet Friday that he stopped a U.S. attack on Iran that would have targeted three sites. He told NBC's Chuck Todd in an exclusive interview Friday that, after being told the attack could cost 150 Iranian lives, he decided it was not proportional to the downing of an unmanned spy drone. ....On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not....   Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019 The U.S. and Iran have been attacking one another covertly for decades. President Obama is believed to have ordered a cyber attack that employed malware known as Stuxnet to set back Iran's nuclear program by causing centrifuges to malfunction, for example. Iran built powerful bombs that killed American troops in Iraq. But the last time an American president authorized a military strike on Iranian forces was in the 1980s, when Iran was fighting a war against Iraq and attacking tanker traffic in the Persian Gulf. In April 1988, an Iranian mine wounded 10 sailors on the USS Samuel B. Roberts. American forces responded by destroying much of Iran's small navy and taking out two oil platforms used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. After a U.S. guided missile cruiser accidentally shot down an Iranian passenger airliner in July 1988, killing 290 civilians, Iran capitulated, believing the shootdown was not an accident. But analysts say Iran's capacity to inflict pain on the U.S. and its allies is much greater than in the 1980s, the last time the U.S. and Iran engaged in open military conflict, experts say. Slideshow by photo services In addition to its extensive proxy forces, Iran has a potent cyber capability that could, in theory, take down networks and harm the American economy. Iran is believed to be responsible for a cyberattack that wiped out 35,000 computers at the Saudi oil company, Aramco, in 2012. The U.S., of course, could inflict massive damage on Iran. American forces could obliterate Iran's entire navy in two days, according to a recent Pentagon analysis, described by multiple U.S. officials. But Iran's clerical regime, which cares most about its survival, may respond to that in unpredictable ways. "Very quickly we could end with miscalculation as both sides fear offensive action by the other or tit for tat that escalates into a much more significant conflict," said Ilan Goldenberg, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for New American Security, on Twitter. The U.S. might believe it was sending Iran a message of deterrence by punishing it with limited air strikes. But Iran could interpret those strikes as a precursor to an invasion, and act accordingly. The result could be full-scale war. An all-out effort by the U.S. to depose the Iranian regime could cost trillions of dollars and untold American lives, Goldenberg wrote in a recent analysis. "Even short of such worst-case scenarios, any war with Iran would tie down the United States in yet another Middle Eastern conflict for years to come. The war and its aftermath would likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars and hobble not just Trump but future U.S. presidents. Such a commitment would mean the end of the United States' purported shift to great-power competition with Russia and China," he wrote. Trump has said he doesn't want that. The president told NBC News he is inviting Iran's senior leaders to talk. "I'm not looking for war," Trump said to Todd. "And if there is, it will be obliteration like you've never seen before. But I'm not looking to do that. But you cannot have a nuclear weapon. You want to talk   good. Otherwise you're going to have a bad economy for the next 3 years."


Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (wrist) and offensive guard Ron Leary (Achilles) will do "some stuff" during organized team activities this week but will not be full-go, coach Vic Fangio said Sunday. Meanwhile, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) will remain sidelined and tight end Jake Butt (ACL) will be limited. "[Butt will] be doing stuff," Fangio said. "You'll see him early in practice doing things." In the secondary, cornerbacks Bryce Callahan (foot) and Isaac Yiadom (shoulder) should be back on the field together soon. "Callahan will go," Fangio said. "Yiadom, a little bit limited the first week, but by the second week should be going full." With veteran Chris Harris holding out in a contract dispute and Kareem Jackson spending time at safety, Denver will be leaning on Callahan and Yiadom this summer. The team won't rush either player into full-go sessions until they are completely healed. The team's first set of OTAs will wrap up on Thursday. MORE: NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players These five photos of Kawhi Leonard watching his buzzer-beater are incredible Video confirms reports of Chris Paul's attempt to sabotage Steph Curry Dak Prescott's accuracy, aggressive quantified ahead of new deal 5 Thoughts on Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5: Cersei and the Mad King Don't Look So Bad [Spoilers]


Volkswagen wants all of us to remember the good ol' days. You know, any time prior to September 2015, when the EPA dropped its NOx-hammer on the company's dirty-breathing diesels. If you can't bring yourself to forgive and forget so readily, VW is happy to guide you further down memory lane to the 1960s, when the pollution was hazier and the love flowed freely. After the Microbus-inspired BUDD-e concept an all-electric mea culpa VW appears eager to tap the nostalgia ATM again with this new Beetle Dune. The Beetle Dune, a midrange trim level in special-edition guise, is meant to evoke Baja Bugs. Those modified Type 1 Beetles, created in the image of the Meyers Manx, could be anything from a recreational dune buggy to a bona fide desert racer. While there wasn't a single blueprint, a Baja Bug was instantly recognizable by the trimmed-back bodywork and swollen tires. Of course, there's a reason the throwback is called Beetle Dune and not Beetle Baja. Actually, two reasons: Compared with standard Beetles, the Dune's track grows 0.6 inch wider (the result of wheels with a smaller offset) and its suspension lifts the floor 0.4 inch higher. That's the extent of the Dune's mechanical changes. Beaches will not be invaded, sand dunes will not be crested, and deserts will not be skimmed. We deviated from VW's prescribed pavement-only route in our Dune, driving down a gravelly access road and making it 50 yards before a drainage gully threatened to tear off the front fascia. While the Dune's front and rear clips give the false impression that the car is equipped with skid plates, we resisted the temptation to call Volkswagen's bluff. Research the Volkswagen Beetle on MSN Autos The Dune is a car playing dress-up and angling for a starring role in Mad Max: Sesame Street. It will sell on its black wheel-arch extensions and the long, flat spoiler that appears to be inspired by that other rear-engined German icon. The Dune follows the same insincere formula that turns an Audi wagon into an Allroad or a Volvo wagon into a Cross Country only without all-wheel drive. It exists because we live in a time when automakers believe everything can and should be a crossover. It may be a disingenuous car, but the Dune is not a bad car. Its virtues are the same as those of any other Beetle. Massive slabs of glass make for an airy cabin and excellent visibility. It steers and rides with typical VW competence. You can choose between coupe or convertible and black, white, or sandstorm yellow paint, but you always get a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic. Our only serious beef: the brake pedal requires an unusually firm and long press before the binders bite hard. Rather than a Baja Bug, the Dune follows in the recent footsteps of flimsy special editions such as the Beetle Denim, the Fender Edition, and the Classic. That gives us an idea for the next model. If Volkswagen can't figure out how to sell TDI cars in the U.S. again, maybe it can pay tribute to those torque-rich, high-mpg glory days with the Beetle Diesel Edition, propelled by a zero-emissions battery-electric powertrain, of course. Specifications >VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe or 2-door convertible BASE PRICE: Coupe, $24,815; Convertible, $30,000 (estimated) ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection Displacement: 110 cu in, 1798 cc Power: 170 hp @ 4800 rpm Torque: 184 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 100.0 in Length: 168.7 in Width: 71.7 in Height: 58.6 59.1 in Passenger volume: 81 85 cu ft Cargo volume: 7 15 cu ft Curb weight (C/D est): 3050 3250 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST): Zero to 60 mph: 7.4 7.6 sec Zero to 100 mph: 21.0 21.2 sec Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 15.9 sec Top speed: 125 mph FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST): EPA city/highway driving: 25/34 mpg Follow MSN Autos on Facebook


Despite arriving just one day prior, Manchester City acclimatised quickly to the humid environment of the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center as they beat West Ham 4-1 in the Premier League Asia Trophy. It was a day for the Premier League champions youth prospects to shine, with Lukas Nmecha and Adrian Bernabe showcasing their talents against a strong Hammers line-up. But while they excelled, it was Raheem Sterling who guaranteed the win for the Citizens - scoring twice in an electric second half display. West Ham had plenty of chances of their own, and despite the scoreline, were in the game for the majority of the match - offering hope that a few defensive improvements could lead to a potential stab at European qualification next season. Here's our breakdown of the game. Manchester City  Key Talking Point As much as it is unlikely that we will see Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero or Bernardo Silva forced out of the side, this pre-season match has proven that youth should perhaps be given an opportunity next season. Striker Lukas Nmecha looked powerful and dangerous, winning and scoring a penalty to give his side the lead, whilst winger Adrian Bernabe provided a delicious assist for veteran playmaker David Silva. Long-term Fernandinho replacement Rodri was comfortable in central midfield, looking like a player who will be constructing attacks from deep rather than someone who will constantly be breaking up play. Player Ratings Starting XI: Bravo (7); Danilo (6), Angelino (5), Laporte (7), Harwood-Bellis (7), Rodri (7), David Silva (9*), Doyle (8), Bernabe (8), Poveda-Ocampo (7), Nmecha (8). Substitutes: Sane (7); Sterling (9), De Bruyne (8), Bernardo Silva (7), Zinchenko (7) Gundogan (7), Walker (7), Garcia (6), Stones (6). STAR MAN - Despite only featuring for the first half, David Silva silenced any doubts over whether he is still truly capable of playing at the top level, in a side of City's quality. His glorious control and finish for City's first goal of the game beautifully complimented the outstanding ball which gave him the opportunity in the first place. He put in an eye-catching performance, made all the more impressive by the fact that he had to do so with a number of fringe players, being one of four replaced by Sterling, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne at the start of the second period.  What a pass by Bernabe! And then that chest control and finish from David Silva!  pic.twitter.com/Ed4y6KI79c   Man City Delhi Supporters Club (@ManCityDelhi) July 17, 2019  David Silva is like a fine wine isn't he?   West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) 17 July 2019  @21LVA what a goal 😍😍   Nick Jackson (@njmcfc1894) 17 July 2019  Tommy Doyle and David Silva 💙   Maroonmafia67@Dougiemcfc (@Maroonmafia671) 17 July 2019 West Ham United Key Talking Point West Ham are not short of attacking prowess, which is only going to be enhanced when Sebastian Haller is deployed, as tricky forwards Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson caused the City defence all sort of problems. The Brazilian made a great contribution to the opening goal when he turned left back Angelino - who had a day to forget - inside out, only leaving him able to stop Anderson using his arm. The resultant penalty was coolly converted by Mark Noble. But, as predicted, it is their defensive frailties which may end up being a costly factor during the 2019/20 campaign. It was fairly simple for City's creative youngsters to break them down at times, whilst a clumsy Ogbonna challenge allowed City to come from behind before the half time whistle. Player Ratings Starting XI: Roberto (6); Fredericks(7), Diop (6), Ogbonna (5), Johnson (6), Rice (6), Noble (6), Wilshere (6), Lanzini (8), Anderson (8), Antonio (7). Substitutes: Sanchez (6), Snodgrass (6), Hernandez (7), Yarmolenko (7), Diangana (6), Obiang (6), Zabaleta (6), Cresswell (6), Reid (6). STAR MAN - Manuel Lanzini has had a difficult spell in recent times, suffering from a severe injury and only now truly breaking back into West Ham's starting XI. But West Ham fans should be excited by what they saw of him. He looked likely to make something happen every time he got on the ball, driving at defenders and always looking for the killer pass, or opportunity to take a snap-shot on goal. Looking forward to watching Manuel Lanzini this season. Had that horrible injury which meant he missed most of last season, it'll be interesting to see how he develops. Quality player. #PLAsiaTrophy #mciwhu   David Hickman (@DavidHickman87) July 17, 2019  West Ham front four could look like Filipe Anderson Pablo Formals Manuel Lanzini Sebastian Haller Obviously two of them need to settle and one coming back from long injury but if it clicks that's an impressive front four.   Neil (@spuddy1878) July 16, 2019  Looking Ahead Coming off the back of this result, City continue their tour of China with matches against less familiar opponents in Hong Kong side Kitchee, before facing further Premier League opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League Asia Trophy final.. It's a different story for West Ham , who first will take on Newcastle in the third placed playoff, before returning to London to face the relegated Fulham at Craven Cottage next.


Chelsea had 41 players out on loan in the 2018/19 season, and have been heavily criticised for not giving young players enough game time, compared to other clubs in the Premier League. However, with a transfer ban this summer these five young players could have a chance to shine at Stamford Bridge next season. Tammy Abraham Abraham excelled in the 2016/17 season at Bristol City, with 23 goals. However, he had a disappointing following season at Swansea in the Premier League. He seems to have found his best form again, with 25 goals this season at Aston Villa , helping them to win promotion back to the Premier League . Finishing with the second most goals in the Championship , he may have finally done enough to earn a chance at Chelsea. Chelsea have been looking for an heir to the striker's position since Didier Drogba, and with a transfer ban looming, Gonzalo Higuain failing to produce, and Oliver Giroud never a long term option, Abraham now may get his chance to break the No. 9 curse at Chelsea. Mason Mount Mount has had a solid season at Derby , under the guidance of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, scoring 11 times in 44 appearances. It looks as though Mateo Kovacic's loan deal will not be made permanent and with Ruben Loftus-Cheek injured, Chelsea are left with Ross Barkley as the only genuine attacking option in midfield. With Chelsea's main creator, Eden Hazard, gone, Chelsea will need creativity from midfield more than ever before, and Mount can surely provide that. Reece James The EFL Team of the Season nominee has enjoyed a fantastic season at Wigan, scoring three goals from full back. He may not be a starter next season, as Chelsea's captain Cesar Azplicueta does not look like giving up his first team spot. However, Davide Zappacosta has had another poor season Chelsea perhaps need the depth at right back to make a push in all four competitions. With James being named Wigan's Player of the Season, he is certainly a strong contender to challenge Azplicueta next season. Kurt Zouma Zouma, by managing to prove himself at Everton last season, after failing at Stoke, Zouma might now finally get his chance to prove himself in the first team in 2019/20. The defender has been recalled to the French national team, and has tonnes of Premier League experience, even collecting a winners medal during the 2016/17 season. Zouma might not be the most talented prospect out of Chelsea's loanees, but he may be the one they need to stabilise the shaky defence. Fikayo Tomori Tomori is another defender on the list, and managed to win Derby's Player of the Season last year. He may not get enough minutes at Chelsea to continue to develop, but as Antonio Rüdiger is still injured, he could have chance to prove himself in pre-season, and prove that he can challenge for a spot in the starting XI.


The 3500 HD hauls a 50-foot trailer loaded with water and still does 70 mph on the highway. Ram has a revamped HD pickup truck for 2019, and depending on how it's optioned out, the pickup can tow an impressive 35,100 pounds. That's far more than the average person living in the suburbs would likely ever need, but there are folks who actually use their trucks to handle some seriously large loads. The Fast Lane Truck on YouTube loves digging into real-world performance metrics of pickups large and small, and to explore the potential of the decidedly large Ram 3500 with the range-topping 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel, the crew packed a 50-foot gooseneck horse trailer with no less than 29,000 pounds of ballast and hit the street. Research the Ram 3500 on MSN Autos | Find a Ram 3500 near you Special Edition Rams: 2019 Ram HD Kentucky Derby Edition Hauls All Your Horses 2019 Ram Heavy Duty Lone Star Debuts As Texas-Only Truck Why stop at 29,000 pounds when the Ram HD has a maximum rating of 35,100 pounds? Maximum ratings for a vehicle can vary significantly depending on available power and weight of added options. With the tow vehicle for this test being a decked-out Ram 3500 Limited with four-wheel drive, the added weight in equipment equates to a lower towing capacity of 32,360 pounds. for this specific truck. With 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and no less than 1,000 pound-feet (1,356 Newton meters) of available torque, the engine is certainly up to the task, with the only questions being how well it handles the load and how much diesel the engine burns. The towing test is conducted on TLF Truck's familiar 98-mile highway test loop, with a target speed for the test vehicle being 70 mph. Surprisingly, the big Ram seems to have no trouble maintaining that speed despite pulling over 14 tons of water ballast in the massive horse trailer. Furthermore, the test showed the interior was surprisingly quiet   the Ram HD 3500 Limited appears to be quite a luxurious place to haul a properly heavy load, but such posh capability doesn't come cheap. This truck was said to have a price upwards of $88,000. Compare the Ram HD to Other Big Trucks: Heavy Duty Pickup Truck Comparison: Super Duty vs Ram vs Silverado At the end of the run, the Ram's fuel mileage estimate indicated an average of 8.7 miles per gallon for the 98-mile loop, and manual calculations matched the estimate spot-on. Such fuel usage isn't bad at all considering the heavy load and interstate-friendly speed, though the testers did point out the Ram's smallish fuel capacity meant a refuel would be required every 250 miles or so. Still, if you have a need to tow the equivalent of seven Dodge Challengers at once, this rig can handle it. Research the Ram 3500 on MSN Autos | Find a Ram 3500 near you Source: The Fast Lane Truck via YouTube


Video by Reuters LOS ANGELES   The largest earthquake to hit Southern California in two nearly decades left residents near the epicenter in Ridgecrest and Kern County shaken. The quake caused some fires and threw merchandise off shelves at stores. It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties. "I was laying down in my bed and I had my feet on the wall and I felt like both of the sides of the house were moving and shaking, so I ran and grabbed my brother and kid and came outside," said Edith Mata, 22, a student at Bakersfield College. Her son is 3 years old and her brother is 17. "The neighbors across the street were also outside with their whole family of five people. My kid had no idea what was going on." Mata said that it felt very "creepy" and that she had never experienced anything like it before. Others described two different shaking events. "I was in my kitchen trying to get some coffee and all the windows started rattling," Emma Gallegos, a 34-year-old journalist in southwest Bakersfield, said. "It was just a little bit at first   I thought something was going by, and then I realized all the windows were rattling. It was kind of a long, gentle roll and I felt two distinct waves." Slideshow by photo services There were reports of some damage near the epicenter, including bottles and other items falling off shelves. Fire officials said they were responding to "nearly two dozen incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires in and around" Ridgecrest. Barbara Butler, 90, was shopping in the Dollar Tree at China Lake and Ridgecrest boulevards when the shaking started. "There was a shelf with all of the supplies for cleaning, and all of a sudden, I felt a big jolt and that was coming down," she said. "It fell all around me, and liquids went everywhere, and the lights went out." Butler, who walks with a cane, said she was able to maneuver out of the way before the shelf crashed to the floor. After the rolling stopped, other shoppers helped her out to her car, where she drove straight to her house to assess the damage. She said a collection of glass cups and saucers that had belonged to her mother was destroyed, as was an antique case that housed them. "But they're just things," said Butler, who has lived in the area for 50 years. Jenny Campbell, a bookkeeper at the Albertsons on China Lake Boulevard in Ridgecrest, said the entire store was moving with light fixtures and pieces of the ceiling falling, bottles and glass broken in the aisles. The store is without power and running on backup generators. "I was just shocked. It was like nothing I've ever experienced," she said. Virginia Henry was reading in her Inyokern bedroom   about 10 miles from Ridgecrest   when the shaking started. "It was feeling a whole like the Loma Prieta earthquake up in San Francisco in '89," she said. The 72-year-old toy store owner had experienced the deadly magnitude 6.9 earthquake 30 years prior. Remembering how her husband had been knocked out by falling bookcases in the 1989 quake, Henry retreated from her bookcase-filled bedroom to her closet during the shaking. "I immediately thought, 'I probably shouldn't be sitting there.' " She drove into Ridgecrest shortly after the earthquake to check on her toy and game store, Just Imagine. There didn't appear to be any damage to the store, which had been closed for the holiday. "We just have a whole bunch of things lying on the floor," Henry said. "Here in Ridgecrest, we have power and everything is fine. A lot of businesses are open," Henry said. However, back in rural Inyokern, things were "kind of dead," according to Henry. "No Wi-Fi, no electricity." In Ridgecrest, engineer Mark Leach was in his garage about to drive to a July 4 barbecue in Los Angeles when the shaking started. He's lived in California for 12 years but this was his first major earthquake here. It felt like the shaking went on for 30 seconds, he said. It wasn't his first earthquake ever. He was in Seattle for the Nisqualle earthquake in 2001   a 6.8 in the Puget Sound. This felt just as bad to him. "About halfway through it I dashed out into the road completely freaking out," he said. "But there was massive shaking even when you were out on solid ground, terra firma. There was substantial shaking of the whole house. You can see some cracking in the seams of the drywall and stuff was knocked off the shelves   books and CDs and stuff. A lamp went over, but nothing really huge   like a bookcase or anything   fell over." A little while after the earthquake, SoCal Edison shut off the power, but sent messages to customers that it expected to turn it back on by 12:30 p.m. Outside, Leach's neighbors also came out of their houses. "Our neighbor was totally calm." But as the aftershocks started, Leach said he could actually hear the quakes them before he felt the shaking. The earthquake was centered 10 miles northeast of Ridgecrest, a city of about 29,000 in Kern County mostly known as a stopover for skiers and snowboarders headed from Los Angeles to Mammoth. The earthquake was felt widely throughout the Los Angeles area, said Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson. It's unlikely there was significant damage in a major urban area given that the earthquake was centered in such a remotely populated area. The area that ruptured occurred in an area of faults slightly east of the Sierra Nevada. The Little Lake fault is one of them, and last went through a magnitude 6 earthquake in 1984, Hauksson said.     ©2019 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


A few months ago, Pantone announced that 2015's Color of the Year was an earthy wine red called " marsala ." While it was immediately obvious that the anointed shade would work well for leather bags, lipsticks and wall colors   ideal for the downstairs bathroom of my adult dream home   Cheryl and I only had one question: How would it look on your head? While plenty of people dye their hair variations of natural or unnatural red, marsala is a very particular shade. Pantone's swatch is deep and a bit brown, with an opaque greyish tint. It's not the type of thing you can readily recreate using a box of red from the drugstore. So I called up master colorist Aura Friedman to see if she'd be down to use her wizardry to make me marsala. Well, not me, exactly, but a wig that I could pretend was my hair. To be honest, I was afraid of the commitment (I am a millennial, I live in New York). But in my defense, it looks charming on my bookshelf now, like a very well-trained pet. The wig was pre-bleached (human hair), so Friedman's assistant started out by dyeing it orange with a combination of Manic Panic's Electric Tiger Lily and Psychedelic Sunset, which she said would help the main layer of red hold its tone better. She left the color in for 20 minutes before rinsing it out, sans shampoo. (By the way, watching someone work frothing orange hair dye into a limp wad of hair in a sink at an upscale salon is both dissonant and very soothing.) For those of you who are planning to dye your own hair, here's a tip: Use cold or cool water to retain as much of the pigment as possible. Hot water opens up the hair follicle, and red is especially susceptible to washing out. If your sink doesn't accommodate a human head and you don't want to jump into a freezing cold shower, lukewarm will do. Hair pre-dyed, Friedman started doing her thing, using a whisk to mix together Vampire Red (blood-like), Inferno (a brighter red), Venus Envy (green) and Raven (black), adding in some Sally Hershberger Hyper Hydration conditioner to lighten it. Since the majority of the concoction was red dye, a dollop of green gave it a browner tone without stripping it of its warmth. A dot of black added depth. Manic Panic colors tend to take to the hair pretty much the same way they appear in the bottle, Friedman explained, but you do need to take into account the hair tone on which you're layering it. In this case, making the wig orange first gave it an underlying brightness even after the whole thing had been painted red. Side note: A bowl of creamy, whipped hair dye resembles colored cake frosting. You may feel the urge to sample it. Also, I was not the first to ask Friedman for marsala hair -- another girl had come in the week before requesting the shade. After the color had time to process, hairstylist Jae Cardenas took his scissors and razors to the wig   now happily on my head   and, in accordance with the styling principle we'd agreed upon, "f--ked sh-t up." Since the wig was already bobbed with bangs and the color was so kicky, we decided to go with a jagged "Fifth Element"/Karen Elson inspired cut. After blow-drying the whole thing, Cardenas used a curling iron to add some extra texture. Also, a word to the wise: Don't attempt to put a wig on for the first time by yourself. It'll be a mess. Better tucking in your thumbs at the front to hold it in place as your teammate pulls it over the back of your head. I felt very much unlike myself leaving the salon, looking as I did like a television spy on an undercover operation, and went to go meet a friend for noodles in Chinatown. In the fluorescent light of the real world, a look like this stands out, but more so, I found, when you take your wig off halfway through dinner to relieve your real hair of the two dozen bobby pins stuck into it. The verdict? I'd definitely consider doing marsala for real. Until then, you can bet I'm taking the wig out for a spin.


A handful of NFL players participated in last weekend's 40 Yards of Gold contest, but it sounds like all the participants are still awaiting their promised payout. Agent Will Sarubbi, who represents Vikings wideout Jeff Badet , told Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Daily that his client hasn't received his promised $25K. "The contract was explicitly clear," Sarubbi said. "Jeff was an independent contractor who was promised $25,000 upon arrival, before the event on June 29. That has not been paid as of 5 p.m. today. It does not look likely it will be, based on the correspondence we have had." According to the report, players were given checks following the event, but they were told to wait to cash those checks until Friday. Then, the players were told to ignore the checks and submit bank account information, at which time their payout would be sent via wire transfer. However, that money has yet to appear. "As to whether the money's there or not, I don't know," said agent Sean Lindsey. "I hope it is. The one thing I despise the most in this industry is individuals trying to take advantage of professional athletes. I don't know if that's what's going on here. I hope not. But these guys need to get paid." 49ers wideout Marquise Goodwin won the event and was set to take home the $1M prize. Let's check out some more notes from around the NFL… Former undrafted free agent Vyncint Smith had some standout moments as a rookie, and the Texans receiver is looking to take a step forward during his sophomore campaign. In fact, the 23-year-old said he's already worked out with quarterback Deshaun Watson this offseason. "Oh yeah, we got together last summer," Smith told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle . "We get together this summer to throw, build chemistry in a new environment or different environment with Deshaun and just have fun." Smith appeared in seven games (one start) as a rookie, hauling in five receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown. Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow may have been selected in the fifth round of this past year's draft, but that doesn't mean the rookie can't play a big role this season. Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that Renfrow's savviness and football IQ should help him carve out a role as a slot receiver. However, if the rookie proves that he's not able to contribute right away, he could easily get passed by veteran Ryan Grant on the depth chart. It sounds like rookie running back Josh Jacobs may sit out training camp , as his camp's negotiations with the organization have not been going well.


LOS ANGELES (AP) Southern California will host two-time national champion Villanova in an exhibition basketball game on Oct. 18 with proceeds benefiting the California Fire Foundation. It will be USC's first preseason game open to the public since 2014. The Trojans were 16-17 last season. Villanova returns four of its top six scorers from last season when the Wildcats went 26-10 and won the Big East before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The foundation provides financial and emotional support to families of fallen firefighters and their communities. --- More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25


MIAMI (AP) Steven Brault nearly had a very brief outing. Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he stayed in the game. Brault scattered eight hits over six innings, and the Pirates stopped a seven-game slide by routing the Miami Marlins 11-0 on Friday night. Brault (3-1) was hit on his left leg by Starlin Castro's line drive in the first, but it didn't seem to affect him very much. ''That was not ideal, that's not what we're looking for, right in the shin,'' Brault said. ''When they came out we had a little laugh over it and I said, `I'm OK.' You don't feel it at first and when you stand up, `Oh yeah, that doesn't feel great.' I'm OK, it's just a bruise.'' The left-hander struck out six and walked none. He also went 2 for 2 at the plate. Colin Moran drove in a career-high five runs with two singles and a homer and Bryan Reynolds had a career-best four hits for the Pirates, who got their first win since June 6 against Atlanta. They finished with 18 hits, matching a season high. The Pirates broke it open with a four-run fifth off Trevor Richards. Josh Bell tripled in Reynolds and scored on Moran's base hit. Moran's three-run shot in the seventh increased Pittsburgh's lead to 8-0. The former Marlins No. 1 draft pick drove Jeff Bigham's fastball over the wall in left-center for his 10th homer. ''We have a lot of guys that can get on base,'' Moran said. ''When I'm in the five-hole guys are in scoring position and it's a chance to drive in runs. ''We needed it. We came out and had a really good game to get it rolling now.'' Jose Osuna connected for his second pinch-hit homer of the season in the eighth, a two-run drive off Jarlin Garcia. ''The big bang late from Osuna was an exclamation point. Good hitting from top to bottom,'' Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. Three relievers pitched the final three innings for the Pirates. Richards (3-7) allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. In his previous four starts, Richards limited opposing hitters to a .160 average in 24 2/3 innings. ''I wasn't consistent with the fastball today,'' Richards said. ''They got me early in the count. It happens. I just have to do the adjustment and come back better the next time.'' Moran's single to center drove in Starling Marte from second to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Marte reached on an infield single and advanced to second on Richards' throwing error. Brault escaped from a bases-loaded situation in the third when he struck out Jorge Alfaro. ''We had enough guys out there, enough traffic to put some multiple runs and get back in the game,'' Miami manager Don Mattingly said. ROSTER MOVE The Marlins placed veteran infielder Martin Prado on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Infielder Yadiel Rivera was promoted from Triple-A New Orleans and went 1 for 4. TRAINER'S ROOM Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (right side strain) showed no discomfort in his rehab start of three innings Thursday at Triple-A Indianapolis. ... RHP Jameson Taillon (right elbow flexor strain) recently began gripping exercises and range of motion activities. Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (herniated disk) was placed on the 60-day injured list. The team's opening-day starter the past two seasons, Urena missed his scheduled start Wednesday, but the severity of the injury was not disclosed until Friday. UP NEXT Pirates: After seven seasons in the minor leagues, right-hander Dario Agrazal will be promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday and start the second game of the series. Agrazal, 24, is not on the 40-man roster after the Pirates designated him for assignment in January. He cleared waivers and the Pirates outrighted him to Indianapolis, where he is 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA in 49 1/3 innings. Marlins: Pablo Lopez (4-5, 4.26 ERA) will make his first career start against the Pirates. Lopez has completed six innings in each of his past three starts, allowing a combined two runs and 11 hits.


WASHINGTON   Vietnamese officials say China is intentionally mislabeling its products as "made in Vietnam" to avoid American tariffs, and have ordered offices to more aggressively examine products' certificates of origin. Chinese firms first export products to Vietnam, then change the labeling on packages before exporting the goods to the United States, Japan or Europe, they said. "Dozens" of products have been identified, Hoang Thi Thuy, a Vietnamese Customs Department official, told state-run media , and goods like textiles, fishery products, agricultural products, steel, aluminum, and processed wooden products were most vulnerable to the fraud. Vietnamese state media noted that in 2017, the Customs Department exposed a company called INTERWYSE for trying to rebrand 600 Chinese-made speakers and phone chargers with a "Made in Vietnam" label. "It will sabotage Vietnamese brands and products and it will also affect consumers. We could even get tariff retribution from other countries, and if that happens, it will hurt our economy," Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh told the Vietnamese National Assembly last week. Vietnam does not have any legal requirements for certification of the "Made in Vietnam" label. The country's current regulations require that goods be produced partly or completely in Vietnam, but does not provide a mechanism for determining the veracity of the label. Amid President Donald Trump's escalating trade war with China, international firms have shifted some of their supply chains to Vietnam in an effort to avoid American tariffs. The United States is currently Vietnam largest export partner. The trade war shows few signs of slowing down. On Monday morning, Trump threatened to increase tariffs on Chinese products unless Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to meet with him at the G20 summit later in May. Contributing: Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vietnam says that China is mislabeling products as Vietnamese to avoid U.S. tariffs


OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Authorities say two young children were hit by a car Thursday in Thurston County. It happened along Cushman Road in the Seashore Villa neighborhood, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office. Officials say a 63-year-old woman was driving on a private drive when she hit a 4½-year-old girl and a 2½-year-old boy. The boy was airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The girl's injuries are considered non-life threatening, according to the sheriff's office. Officials say the driver is the children's neighbor and is cooperating with investigators.     ©2019 KCPQ-TV, Seattle Visit KCPQ-TV, Seattle at www.q13fox.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Blue whales have been passing through Southern California waters, some stopping for extended periods to feed, affording up-close views of the largest mammals ever to have roamed the planet. Most of the gawking has been from these safety of large boats, but recently an intrepid paddler aboard a 14-foot standup-paddle board was caught on video cruising so closely alongside an 80-foot blue whale that it appeared the two were traveling together. The paddler is Rich German , an Orange County marine mamma enthusiast who is sometimes criticized for approaching too closely to whales. His minute-long encounter occurred April 24 off Laguna Beach, but wildlife photographer Mark Girardeau waited until last Friday to post his drone footage. NOAA guidelines suggest that pilots of any vessel "attempt to stay at least 100 yards from a whale." Because that's not always possible, as whales sometimes surface very close to boats. When this occurs, it's best to remain still and avoid erratic movements. Any actions that cause a whale to alter its behavior can be considered harassment and a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. There appears to have been no harassment of the 80-foot blue whale in the footage captured by Girardeau, founder of Orange County Outdoors , who was aboard a Newport Coastal Adventure whale-watching boat at the time. German is quoted by the Orange County Register as saying was was not afraid because he considers blue whales to be "gentle and totally harmless." German added: "It's just totally awe-inspiring. Blissful and humbling are the words that come to me. I like to be out there - and to have that experience on the ocean with the largest animal to live on the planet is amazing. For me to share it is even more amazing because they are endangered." Blue whales, much larger than any dinosaur species, feed almost exclusively on tiny shrimp-like krill. A single blue whale can devour nearly 8,000 pounds of krill per day. Blue whales can measure 100 feet and weigh more than 150 tons. Because they often dive repeatedly to find krill blooms, it becomes nearly impossible to know exactly where they'll surface, making it hard for captains to follow NOAA guidelines. SUP paddlers do not often encounter blue whales because they're typically too far offshore. German's encounter, however, occurred less than a mile from the beach. -Images courtesy of ©Mark Girardeau/Newport Coastal Adventure MORE: Most bizarre and incredible catches by fishermen in past decade Did Steelers make life easier on Bengals by jumping in front of them for Devin Bush? Roundup: Adam Sandler SNL Tribute to Chris Farley, $5 Gas in California, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner Honeymoon 5 takeaways from Giants rookie minicamp How to tell if a coach is interested in you as a recruit


MIAMI (CBSMiami)   A woman accused of hitting her young sons with an extension cord has been arrested. Latamara Taylor has been charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect. It happened on May 24th. Before leaving for work she told her two sons, ages six and nine, to call her before they ate anything thing. After a while, the boys got hungry and called her, but she didn't answer her phone. So the boys opened a can of ravioli and ate it. When Taylor came home and found the boys had eaten the ravioli, she became angry, grabbed an extension cord and began whipping them on their torsos, legs, and buttocks, according to her arrest report. She then took them to their father's residence and dropped them off. The Department of Children and Families began an investigation four days later. Miami police say she "maliciously and intentionally beat the victims more that a reasonable person would deem as an acceptable form of corporal punishment," according to the arrest report. On May 28th, Taylor was charged with aggravated battery after she reportedly hit and pinned the boys' father with her car.


CRESTWOOD, Mo.   Part of the basement at the Crestwood Government Center has flooded after a water main break. The water main break occurred Saturday morning. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, there is a precautionary boil water advisory for parts of Crestwood and Sunset Hills. The public works department is also located in the basement. RELATED: Precautionary boil water advisory for portion of Crestwood and Sunset Hills after water main break The Crestwood Fire Department chief said they are still 'good to go,' and the upper level where the police department is located was not affected.


Brenda Mulberry popped out from behind the front desk and shifted her weight up and down on the balls of her feet, eyes wide and eyebrows arched. She had the unmistakable frenzied look of someone who had far too much work on her plate. "I'm so busy, literally, I am...," she said, searching for an apt description. "I am on fire." It was a little less than two months until the Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary and Mulberry's small T-shirt shop on the edge of Kennedy Space Center was frantically working to keep up with orders   online orders, in-store orders, orders from its retail partners, all of them requesting reprints of a bevy of Apollo 11-related items the store has been making for the past year in preparation for what was sure to be a blockbuster summer for business. Her store, called Space Shirts, anticipated the Apollo 11 frenzy. Nearly a year ago, it had already started to print its logo design for the moon landing's 50th anniversary on July 20   an image of an astronaut, the moon, Earth and Mars with the words "the next great leap"   onto shirts that took up a handful of shelves near the back of the shop. By late May, Apollo was on nearly everything. It was on hats, polo shirts, tote bags, coasters, drawstring bags and even mouse pads. The quote by Galileo tacked onto the archway over the front desk was replaced to feature Neil Armstrong's "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." And outside, a digital sign flickered between a message that read, "Brevard County's best kept secret" and "Apollo T-shirts!" One recent afternoon, when the line at the register was 10 people deep and the shrill sounds of the landline were echoing through the cramped shop, a man turned to Mulberry, and thinking of the sign outside, said, "I think the secret is out." "Yeah. Like, oh my God," said Mulberry, recalling it. She has owned the shop for more than three decades. "Everyone today is waiting for me to call them back about reorders for everything space related and everything not space related. The [launches are] affecting me, the anniversary of Apollo 11 is affecting me. The general economy is exploding. Someone found some money somewhere." A lot of that money is coming back here to the Space Coast, the site from which astronauts boarded a capsule on a Saturn V rocket in 1969 to embark on humanity's most challenging journey yet. Though launching astronauts to the moon was a nationwide effort that encompassed 400,000 workers coast to coast, the Cape is the symbolic center of it all   where astronauts and space aficionados will descend in late July to celebrate 50 years since the feat was accomplished. And small businesses like Space Shirts will reap the rewards. Just next door on Courtenay Parkway at Shuttles Restaurant and Bar, co-owner Maureen Brower said the restaurant that often hosts NASA engineers and workers from the nearby Blue Origin rocket factory for lunch will have Apollo-themed specials ready to go, including 50 percent off the bar on July 20 and July 24   the date of the splashdown,   and a "Houston we have pastrami" sandwich with cheese and fries for $7.95. By Port Canaveral, popular launch viewing spot Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar is expecting to make some Apollo-driven revenue. The restaurant is usually standing-room-only for launches and often hosts large parties from SpaceX or Lockheed Martin, said manager Jeff Byron. Read more: Apollo 11 scammers are flooding Internet with fake collectibles ahead of anniversary It helps that the anniversary will land on a Saturday, right smack dab in the middle of peak summer season, said Peter Cranis , executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism. "It's going to be a matter of, one, there will be a lot of people in town anyway, and we anticipate that there will be a lot of additional people that will be coming for things specifically related to the 50th anniversary," Cranis said. "[The anniversary] could influence people to say. ' Hey you know what? Let's make this the year we go over to Kennedy Space Center.'" The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, an Orlando-based non-profit, has a slew of events ready for that eventuality. Among them : An Apollo golf tournament at Drive Shack in Orlando, a free Apollo-themed outdoor concert in Cocoa featuring Neil Armstrong's son Rick Armstrong, and a pub crawl that will take participants to local bars in Cocoa Village where astronauts will be stationed telling stories. Tammy Sudler, president and CEO of the foundation, said the Space Coast community, many of whom have been involved in the aerospace industry in some way, is enthusiastic about celebrating the anniversary. "It is about honoring and celebrating this great accomplishment and doing this for the community to be involved," Sudler said. Plus, "our hope is that we are introducing people to the different bars that are out there." It'll be a good opportunity for the new REC 225, a restaurant and bar in Cocoa Village that opened May 1 and will be the last stop on the five-bar walking pub crawl on Friday. Co-owner Wesley Murray grew up in Cocoa Beach where his dad, Richard Murray, worked on the space shuttle program out of Kennedy Space Center for 36 years. "Whenever it was brought up it was just 100 percent, we want to be part of it," the younger Murray said. "This is probably one of the most important events of the year for us." The Apollo anniversary comes at a time when the Space Coast is already benefiting from the increased attention associated with a steady cadence of high-profile rocket launches. The 50th anniversary will further turn sights on the region, which has been on a comeback tour in the past few years as big names in commercial space, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, set up a presence there. For Space Shirts, business has more than doubled since the days of the shuttle. Right before the program shuttered in 2011, unemployment bottomed out in Brevard County to 11.8% in 2010. These days it hovers around about 3%. The shop jumped on the Apollo anniversary last August, said Jo Ann Yardley, the store's manager. "I told them, 'Look, the celebration is happening now.' I said, 'Once it's over, people don't care,'" she said. "Get it all now. People are finicky." She was right. In May, the 17-person operation realized it was time to grow its design team. It added another sign outside: "Graphics positions available." Want more space news? Follow Go For Launch on Facebook . Contact the reporter at cherrera@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5660; Twitter @ChabeliH This story is part of the Orlando Sentinel's Countdown to Apollo 11 lunar landing coverage   30 days of stories leading up to the historic first steps on the moon. Read more stories and see more photos and videos at OrlandoSentinel.com/Apollo11 . Want more Apollo 11? Order your copy of Apollo 50, the Orlando Sentinel's new hard-cover keepsake book chronicling the 50th anniversary of America's moon landing. Order before July 21 and get $10 off the cover price. Order your copy at OrlandoSentinel.com/Apollo50


There are certain old-fashioned dating rules that can and should still be used today. For example, we could all benefit from more dinners together during the work week, right? But, not every piece of dating advice from the middle of the 20th century is still relevant, especially for women. Old dating advice during the '50s and '60s assumed girls were more like property than people. As a result, the so-called rules for women focused primarily on how to please a man and how to avoid confrontation at all costs. Herein, we've rounded up some of the most hilarious (and heinous) dating tips that girls were actually given in decades past. And for more relics from decades ago, don't miss these 20 Photos Only Kids Who Grew up in the 1970s Will Understand . 1. Girls were encouraged to lie about their lineage if their parents were overweight. A piece of dating advice offered in a 1958 issue of McCall 's read: "If your mother is fat, tell him you take after your father." Yes, that's a direct quote, and no, that's not all. The article went on to say that if your father was overweight too, "tell him you're adopted!" 2. The girdle was everything . "Never underestimate the importance of your girdle," noted a passage in 1967's The Seventeen Book of Fashion and Beauty . This, of course, was offered alongside advice like, "You can't expect to charm a royal ball or end up with Rex Harrison with sloppy speech habits." And for more glimpses into the past, This Is What Dating Looked Like More Than 50 Years Ago . 3. A woman had to let her guy cut his own steak. Apparently, nothing says "I'm a manly man" quite like cutting your own steaks. That's why, in the October 1965 issue of Good Housekeeping , one of the tips included in "120 Ways to Please a Man" focused on making sure that there's always a "good, sharp knife" around. 4. Women who wanted to please their men were instructed to spruce up their veggie presentations. The Good Housekeeping article also noted: "If vegetables are something he can usually take or leave, surprise him with imaginative ones like peas dotted with tiny white onions or golden carrots with a dash of ginger." We're confused: Is this your husband or your son? 5. If a girl wanted to know whether her date was rich or not, she was encouraged to skip rope with him. Now, the suggestion to skip rope on a date isn't all that bad on its own. What is bad, however, is Art Unger's reason for suggesting it in The Cool Book: A Teen-Agers Guide to Survival in a Square Society . "You'll be able to tell whether he can afford to take you out on the town by the jangling in his jeans," he wrote. 6. The secret to a successful relationship was talking to your guy's plants. "He needs to be made to feel cherished, beloved, and adored to distraction, too!" wrote an article titled "Loving Gestures" in a 1977 issue of Cosmopolitan . One of the "loving gestures" the article suggests? "Say nice things to his plants." (Yes, seriously.) 7. Girls had to accept help from their dates even when they didn't need it. In Margaret Bevans' McCall's Book of Everyday Etiquette , the dating expert advised girls to accept help always so as to not embarrass their dates. "It is embarrassing to your escort if you refuse his services or beat him to the punch," she wrote. "If he offers help on the stairs or crossing the street, accept it even if you don't need it." 8. Women were told to "say shocking things" to avoid awkward conversation. "Say shocking things he'll be too stunned to realize what a bad conversationalist you are." Yes, this is more real advice from Unger. And if you're looking for dating advice that isn't outdated, check out these 7 Expert Dating Tips from Silicon Valley's Top Millionaire Matchmaker . 9. A woman's ultimate job was creating a relaxing environment for her man. A home economics textbook from the 1960s suggested that when your man came home, you should "have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom" and "have a cool warm drink ready for him." "You may have a dozen things to tell him," the book noted, "but the moment of his arrival is not the time." After all, fighting with your significant other doesn't just take a mental toll on you; Here's How Arguing with Your Spouse Actually Hurts Your Body . 10. A man's advice about perfume mattered more than a woman's. "Ask his advice on what kind [of perfume] you should wear," McCall's told women in the late 1950s. The magazine noted that men "like to think they're authorities on perfume." And if you want more laughs, check out these 17 Hilarious Photos of Terrible Airplane Passenger Behavior . 11. Girls should make their men clothing. When a woman wrote in to Cosmopolitan in 1967 because she needed help with her unkempt surfer boyfriend, Patrick O'Higgins responded: "Crochet him a long cardigan with a Russian collar and a seagull in flight on the breast pocket." He continued: "Sew him long Bermuda shorts in vibrant stripes that you can recognize three hundred yards away; embroider him a T-shirt with his club's insignia; cut him an old-fashioned aviator's cloth helmet to keep his hair out of his eyes. And, when he comes back to you… rub lanolin cream on his knee bumps." Wow, that is very specific. 12. Women should only talk about "the things he wants to talk about." "Please and flatter your date by talking about the things he wants to talk about." This was a dating tip for women in a 1938 issue of Click Photo-Parade Magazine . Other great tidbits from the same article included things like, "Don't drink too much, as a man expects you to keep your dignity all evening," and "Do your dressing in your boudoir to keep your allure." 13. Women weren't supposed to ask too many questions. Here's a great piece of dating advice from Betty Allen and Mitchell Pirie Briggs' 1964 book Mind Your Manners : "Go slow on the telephone calls and such remarks as, 'Where have you been all this time?' That's a poor way to win him. Be a good companion, and he will come back for more on his own initiative." 14. Girls couldn't invite guys on dates, lest they wanted to seem "too eager." Women who invited men to a show or concert in the '50s were seen as far too forward. As Irene Pierson wrote in her 1956 advice book Campus Cues : "The girl should not buy tickets often." 15. Women were expected to control their urges. "Of course sex is natural. So is eating. But would you sit down at the dinner table and pull the leg off a turkey or scoop up the mashed potatoes with your hands?" Ann Landers asked in her 1961 book Since You Ask Me . "Would you grab the fresh rolls off a bakery counter and stuff them into your mouth? Of course not, because civilized people are expected to control their natural instincts. This distinguishes men from beasts." An unusual comparison, but it got the point across at the time, we guess? 16. A girl's role on a date was to focus on the boy, not herself. Does a guy like you for your wit and charm and personality? In the early '60s, that didn't matter at all! "Stop thinking about the kind of image you're presenting to him… and focus the lighting on him," Abigail Wood suggested in a dating advice column in a 1963 issue of Seventeen . "He'll like you for being interested; he'll feel more confident and nothing brings out the hidden best in a person more than the feeling that someone genuinely cares to know him better." 17. Nagging was a no-no, but modesty was paramount. One of the 10 pieces of advice included in the 1973 " Ten Commandments For Today's Wives " by Abigail Van Buren (aka Dear Abby ) was: "Forget not the virtue of cleanliness and modest attire." Some of the other commandments? "Thou shalt not withhold affection from thy husband, for every man loveth to be loved," and "Thou shalt not nag." 18. Complimenting the guy was of utmost importance. "Compliment him on his physical prowess, his mental acumen, his good looks, his virility… lay it on thick but subtly," read Robert H. Loeb's 1959 advice book She-Manners: The Teen Girls' Book of Etiquette . "Stroke his ego. Let him think he's king much of the time. He will love you for it, and, you know, it will make you feel extremely feminine." 19. Wives couldn't work without first considering how it might make their husbands feel. Nowadays, women have the choice to work (and many do). However, that wasn't the case in the late 1950s. "Psychological and emotional benefits and hazards must be considered, from the point of view of both husband and wife," wrote Clifford R. Adams, Ph.D. for an article in the May 1960 issue of Ladies' Home Journal . "Will the husband resent his wife's success? Will he be grateful that she, too, is glad to stay home at night after a day at the office?" 20. When a man was upset with his gal's behavior, it was her fault. When one woman wrote in to a 1959 issue of Ladies Home Journal about what her husband considered to be her "'daring' way of dressing" and "'teasing' behavior around men," Adams' advice was as follows: "To persist in mannerisms or actions distressing to your husband is to indulge yourself. It reflects lack of consideration and suggests disrespect. Ask yourself if self-discipline for his sake might not be more rewarding than self-indulgence." And since women are free to do what they want now thankfully all women should check out The 25 Best Ways to Score a Promotion . Related video: Things mentally strong women do (provided by CNBC)


Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has stayed away from the team as he apparently embarks on a plan to skip a season of football. In this regard, the Jaguars seem to be playing hardball. Via LockedOnJaguars.com, Smith has disclosed on social media that the team has fined him for skipping the recent mandatory minicamp. The total amount forfeited by Smith for missing the three days of practice amounts to $88,650. Smith complains about the fine, given his apparent decision to "sit & get [his] life right." But the Jaguars still need to protect themselves. Smith is due to earn a base salary of $9.75 million this season, $5 million of which became fully guaranteed on March 17. His failure to show up for the mandatory minicamp arguably forfeits the guarantee, and the Jaguars presumably need to acknowledge the failure to report (by providing him with notice of the fine) or risk still owing him the $5 million. Regardless of whether Smith wants to play football in 2019   and if he doesn't want to play, that's his decision   the Jaguars need to protect themselves. Besides, there's a major difference between informing the player of a fine and acting to enforce it. Unless and until the Jaguars send him a bill and demand immediate payment, it's reasonable to conclude that they'd simply withhold the $88,650 from a future paycheck. Whether they do or whether they don't, a team shouldn't be expected to abandon its rights if/when a player who has committed to playing football for multiple years into the future suddenly decides that he doesn't want to play.