NBCUniversal First Place, Staff Online

NBCUniversal First Place, Staff Online Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Food
Style
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
beauty
tips
shopping
real weddings
bobbie's buzz
hair
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
Style
It's not a roomah: Arnold
Schwarzenegger's son Patrick is modeling
for Tom Ford
Randee Dawn
TODAY contributor
!
"
July 16, 2014 at 10:11 AM ET
Clint Eastwood's kid is so last season. The hot model celebrity son of the moment is
Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. The 20year-old recently struck a pose — well, several — for designer Tom Ford's fall campaign.
#
From the Web
$
P a y Off Your C redit C a rd Ba la nce
Fa ster Using This One Trick
Sponsored Links
Next Adv i sor
C ould this Stock be the Next Big
Big…
…
Vent ur eC a pi t a l News
by Taboola
Patrick Shriver
@PSchwarzenegger
Follow
Dressing well is a form of good manners- #TOMFORD
#menseyewear @GiGiHadid @TomFordIntl
9:23 PM - 15 Jul 2014
73 RETWEETS 207 FAVORITES
In Patrick's tweets from the shoot, it's clear he inherited his mother's spectacular
cheekbones. Shriver couldn't be prouder. "Handsome on the outside. Beautiful on the
inside," she tweeted back to her son. (These particular photos don't reveal whether
Patrick has his father's poppin' pecs and biceps, but perhaps we'll find out in a summer
swim campaign.)
Patrick Shriver
@PSchwarzenegger
Follow
I officially don't pop Molly, I roc #TOMFORD @TomFordIntl
@GiGiHadid #TomFordeyewear
1:18 PM - 15 Jul 2014
63 RETWEETS 229 FAVORITES
Patrick was photographed with Gigi Hadid, the 19-year-old daughter of "Real
Housewives of Beverly Hills'" star Yolanda Foster. Other celebrity offspring tapped for
the Tom Ford ads include Ella Richards, daughter of Keith Richards, and Ian
Mellencamp, son of rocker John Mellencamp, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sign up for top style news direct to your inbox
The younger Schwarzenegger is no fashion newbie: At age 15, he co-founded the
clothing and accessories line Project360, which donates a percentage of sales to
causes such as Alzheimer's research, and in 2011 signed with agency L.A. Models. At
the time, he told the Los Angeles Times that modeling "isn't going to be my permanent
job. There's a lot of other things I want to do."
Based on these sultry new shots, however, we have a feeling he'll be back.
Follow Randee Dawn on Google+ and Twitter.
Tags: Style, Style, Arnold Schwarzenegger, models, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, Tom Ford
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (3)
From the Web
More from TODAY.com
Pay Off Your Credit Card Balance Faster
Using This One Trick (NextAdvisor)
The incredible note a wife left for her
husband to find after she died
Could this Stock be the Next Big Thing?
(VentureCapital News)
Video: Hoda reveals pic of boyfriend: ‘I feel
some relief!’
Kate Middleton's Bizarre Behavior at Event
Gets Everyone Talking (Stirring Daily)
Mom of unvaccinated teen fires back at
critics: Here's why
Wealthfront CEO Adam Nash explains his
plans for that $100 million pile of cash
Video: Kathie Lee: I was not off having
cosmetic surgery
(Wealthfront)
Sean Penn says union with Charlize Theron
would be a 'first marriage'
How Coconut Oil Will Change Your Life
(www.PerfectVacation.co)
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Food
Health
Pop Culture
SHOW ME:
all
celebs
tv
movies
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
toyota concert series
nostalgia
awards
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
Pop Culture
'Vape' smokes the competition to become
Oxford Word of the Year
Eun Kyung Kim
TODAY
Nov. 18, 2014 at 9:39 AM ET
Take a deep breath: Oxford Dictionaries has picked “vape” as its 2014 word of the year.
!
"
#
The choice reflects the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes. Increasingly you see
them on the street but they also have their own "vape lounges," and are even allowed
in some offices.
"Vape" can be used as both a verb or a noun. Its use more than doubled in 2014 over
the previous year, according to research conducted by Oxford Dictionaries editors.
$
“A gap emerged in the lexicon, as a word was needed to describe this activity, and
distinguish it from ‘smoking,’” Oxford said in a news release. “The word ‘vape’ arose to
fill this gap, and it has proliferated along with the habit.”
The word originated as an abbreviation of "vapour" or "vaporize."
OxfordDictionaries.com added the definition this past August. The verb means "to
inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device,"
while the noun refers to just the device.
Dr. Nancy Snyderman: E-cigarette
APRIL
Dr. Nancy
Snyderman:
Eissue
‘is a big
fight’
24
cigarette issue ‘is a big
fight’
advertisement
Video: NBC News’ chief medical editor discusses what new FDA regulations could mean for e-cigarette
consumers.
“Vape” beat out "bae" (a term of endearment for a romantic partner) and "budtender"
(someone who serves customers in a cannabis shop) to claim the 2014 title. Others on
the short list include "normcore" (a fashion trend that favors the ordinary) and
"slacktivism" (taking up a political or social cause with very little involvement, like
signing an online petition).
From the Web
Sponsored Links
P lea se Don’t Retire At 62. Here’s
Here’s…
…
The Mot l ey Fool
Wea lthfront C EO Ada m Na sh expla ins
his pla ns for tha t $100 million pile of
of…
…
Wea
Weall t hfr ont
by Taboola
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Style
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Food
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
beauty
tips
shopping
real weddings
bobbie's buzz
hair
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
Chocolate
Cocoa Chanel? Fashion show features
chocolate couture
Amy Eley
TODAY
Jan. 16, 2014 at 2:19 PM ET
!
"
#
From the Web
$
10 C lothes Middle-Aged Women
Should Avoid
Sponsored Links
L i fescr i pt
5 Ridiculous (but effective) Wa ys to
Sa ve On Your Groceries
TheP enny Hoa r der . com
by Taboola
Advertise
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
A model walks the runway at the Chocolate Fashion Show on Jan.16 in Seoul, South Korea.
Now that the Academy Award nominations are out, Hollywood actresses are debating
whether to wear Versace or Valentino on the red carpet. But in Korea this week, fashion
taste has a definite sweet tooth.
During the chocolate trade show Salon du Chocolate, which kicked off in Seoul,
models walked a runway wearing fanciful frocks made with the sweet treat for the
Chocolate Fashion Show. Designers and chocolatiers teamed up to create each
masterpiece, which pairs fabrics with chocolate for the tasty look.
Advertise
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
A model spreads her chocolate wings at the Chocolate Fashion Show in Seoul, South Korea.
Advertise
Advertise
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
An attendee of the Chocolate Fashion Show gets a closer look at the chocolate dresses.
Advertise
Advertise
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
A model shows off her dress and accessories adorned with chocolate.
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
Models prepare backstage for the Chocolate Fashion Show in Seoul, South Korea.
Tags: Style, Chocolate, Style, dresses
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (1)
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Food
Health
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
diet & fitness
cold & flu
Jenna Wolfe
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
Behavior
Curiosity may kill the cat, but here's why
it’s good for your memory
Meghan Holohan
TODAY contributor
!
"
#
$
Oct. 2, 2014 at 2:57 PM ET
All those hours nerding out about "Guardians of the Galaxy," or the Duchess Kate’s
wardrobe, or supply-side economics aren't a waste of time. A new study in the journal
“Neuron” reveals that when we pursue what piques our curiosity we better remember it
— and, in the process, retain other knowledge.
“Curiosity enhances learning," says Robert Bilder, Michael E. Tennenbaum Family
Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA, who was not involved in the study. "One of the non-obvious
outcomes [is] how curiosity impacted ... learning of incidental material.”
The idea for the study started when Charan Ranganath and Matthias Gruber wondered
why people remembered some information but completely forgot other details.
From the Web
Sponsored Links
Millennia ls Are Ditching Delivery for
This Dinner Ha ck
Ea t er for P l a t ed
Numbness, Muscle P a in & Other RA
Symptoms
L i v eS t r ong for Hea l t hl i ne
by Taboola
Zoom Team / Shutterstock
Curiosity might actually be what some memories are made of.
“One of the big mysteries of memory is that it is selective. In any given day, you
encounter tons of information,” says Ranganath, a psychology professor and director
of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis. “What determines
what memories stick around?”
The two suspected that curiosity might motivate people to remember. To understand
this, they asked undergraduate students to rank how interested they were in 112 trivia
questions, such as
“Who was president of the U.S. when Uncle Sam first got a beard?”
“What does the term 'dinosaur’ actually mean?”
(Answers: Abraham Lincoln; Terrible Lizard)
While their brain activity was measured in an fMRI machine, students learned the
answer to a question, but only after an anticipatory period. During the wait,
participants briefly saw an image of a neutral face. About 20 minutes later, the students
Advertise
Advertise
recalled the answers to the trivia questions and guessed whether randomly presented
faces were the same ones shown during the wait.
When students felt curious — determined by how they had ranked their interest in a
particular trivia question — they remembered the answer easily and, surprisingly,
accurately recalled which faces they saw, even though the faces had nothing to do with
their interest.
“People are better able to remember the faces if they were in a state of high curiosity,”
says Ranganath. “When you’re curious, you remember things that you are curious
about [but] you get a lot of memories for free.”
In addition to testing subjects’ memory, Ranganath and Gruber scanned their brains in
the fMRI. Activity flared in the nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area and
hippocampus; these areas contribute to the body’s reward system and memory.
Curiosity acts as an internal reward.
“Really to understand real-life memory we maybe need to go more and more into what
motivates us,” says Ranganath.
Pursuing interests improves memory, but isn’t the only way to keep minds sharp.
Studies of Buddhist monks show that meditation helps them experience less stress and
anger. Even meditation novices experience less stress and anxiety and it can also help
people lose belly fat.
Learning anything new, whether it's a second language or musical instrument,
improves brain health, as does reading.
“It’s surprising that the benefits of reading are not more studied,” Bilder says. “It’s
certainly advantageous to read where you are actively constructing the visual and
sensory and auditory world rather than having it presented in a TV show or movies.”
Tags: Body Odd, Behavior
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (0)
From the Web
More from TODAY.com
Millennials Are Ditching Delivery for This
Dinner Hack (Eater for Plated)
6 reasons why doctors are so afraid of
measles
Numbness, Muscle Pain & Other RA
Symptoms (LiveStrong for Healthline)
Video: Hoda reveals pic of boyfriend: ‘I feel
some relief!’
10 Delicious Foods Only At Trader Joe's
(Rant Food)
The incredible note a wife left for her
husband to find after she died
Forget Waxing and Tweezers, this is the
Answer to Beautiful Brows (DERMSTORE)
Video: Michelle Obama’s State of the Union
outfit sparks buzz
15 New Cars To Avoid At All Costs (FORBES)
Mom of unvaccinated teen fires back at
critics: Here's why
Promoted Links by Taboola
On The Show
President Obama on measles: 'You should
get your kids vaccinated'
Eun Kyung Kim
TODAY
!
"
5 hours ago
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, President Barack Obama tells TODAY's Savannah
Guthrie parents have "every reason" to get their children immunized against measles
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
News
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Food
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
the royals
good news
rossen reports
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
Good News
Here's the kicker: This homecoming
queen also stars on her school's football
team
Chris Serico
TODAY
!
"
Sep. 16, 2014 at 5:59 PM ET
You may have to forgive South Jones High School senior Mary Kate Smith if she’s a
little busy next week — the reigning homecoming queen will be swapping her crown for
a helmet to face Wingfield High School on the football field.
From the Web
#
Sponsored Links
Robert Griffin III Ma rries Rebecca
Rebecca…
…
$
TheP ost G a me
12 Grea t Movies We Just Dont Ever
Wa nt to See Aga in
Mov i eseum
by Taboola
Advertise
Courtesy of the Smith family
Mary Kate Smith, a senior at South Jones High School, in Mississippi, is this year's
Homecoming Queen and a kicker for the varsity football team.
Already a star on the Mississippi school’s girls soccer team, Smith has been getting her
kicks lately as the first girl to make the school’s varsity football squad. And she has a
response ready if someone tells her she plays like a girl.
“I’m me, and I’m not trying to be anybody else,” Smith, 17, told TODAY.com. “I’ll take
that as a compliment.”
Her football coach, Corey Reynolds, said one of his assistants, Matt Smith, the strength
and conditioning coach for Smith’s soccer team, suggested Smith be the kicker they’d
sought all summer.
“It just turned out to be a blue-eyed, homecoming-queen soccer player,” added
Reynolds, a former quarterback and punter at Delta State University.
Advertise
2015 Top
Wrinkle
Creams
iskincarereviews.com
Creams that will
wipe the wrinkles
off your face!
Unbiased
reviews.
Hey,
Sandra
Bullock
Lied
lifecoolbeauty.com…
Her Fans Are In
Shock. Her
Huge Secret Is
Finally Exposed!
Advertise
Advertise
Best
Older
Women
Haircuts
Honda Car
Clearance
2013
honda-clearance-sale…
hair.stylebistro.com Huge Honda Price
Courtesy of the Smith family
Homecoming not only means being fitted for this white gown, but also strapping on a
helmet for a Sept. 26 game against Wingfield High School.
Smith, who’s been playing soccer since she was 3, said she first considered trying out
for the football team as a junior but didn’t think she'd have the time to pull it off. But
with support from her classmates and teammates this year, she decided to give it a
shot.
Reynolds said he's marveled at the way Smith kicked 40-yard field goals in practice.
Calling her “one of the most highly competitive athletes — male or female — I’ve seen,”
he said adding her to the roster was easy, because she earned it.
“When she’s out there, she’s been like one of the guys,” he added. “It’s not like, ‘Ooh,
we have a girl.’”
Smith said field-goal kicks are theoretically easier than soccer shots, because the ball is
always stationary in football, but added, “the pressure is 10 times worse [in football],
with big guys, running at you, who outweigh you by 200 pounds.”
To better prepare for larger opponents, she takes practices seriously, according to her
coach.
“I always pick on [the boys] when we’re running sprints and say, ‘You’d better not let a
girl beat you,’” Reynolds said. “Those guys are about to pull a hamstring trying to make
sure she doesn’t.”
Smith said she laughs when that happens. “I love it,” she added. “It’s a competition, so
I completely know where all of that is coming from. I love winning. I hate losing. I love
competing out there and joking about it afterwards. It’s a great atmosphere.”
See pictures of
the hottest hair
styles for older
women.
Cuts this Month!
Get Our Lowest
Honda Price & Save
Courtesy of the Smith family
Smith said she was too busy to try out for the team last year, but gave it a shot after her
friends encouraged her.
Her father, Jesse Smith, played football at both South Jones High and at Jones County
Junior College, where he now serves as president. He said that while he didn’t doubt
her ability to kick for the team, he had some initial concerns that she didn’t understand
the “level of violence” involved.
“I didn’t know how she would tolerate an aggressive player coming toward her, but
she’s played soccer her whole life,” he said. “After I talked with the coaches about how
they plan to use her, and what role she would be playing, I really have not been
worried about her since.”
On the football field, Mary Kate wears jersey No. 15 — the same number her dad wore
as a quarterback at South Jones.
Bobby Harvison Photography
Smith wears jersey No. 15 – the same number her dad, Jesse Smith, wore when he was a
quarterback at South Jones.
And although the team is winless this season, Smith has been a solid contributor,
scoring on all but one of her field goal and extra-point attempts.
Smith admitted she was nervous about her first scoring opportunity. “I was freaking
out,” she said. “[Reynolds] was like, ‘Mary Kate: Take a deep breath, and hit it just like
in practice.’ It was so loud and the band was playing and everybody was cheering, but
as soon as he said that, I didn’t hear anything else, and it just got real quiet. I just
kicked that ball, and once it made it in, through the post, it was just crazy. All the guys
were patting me on the helmet. It was really awesome.”
Her father was equally thrilled. “I was anxious for her, in dealing with the nerves of it
all,” he said, “but once she kicked, I figured out that she knows what she’s doing. So,
now, I just sit back and enjoy watching her, feeling very proud.”
Courtesy of the Smith family
Smith made her lone field-goal attempt and all but one of her extra point tries.
Jesse Smith said he and his wife, Jennifer, are elated by how the community has
embraced their daughter. “Here, in the South, where traditional values are very
traditional, we were a little concerned about how well she’d be accepted,” he added.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the support that the community has shown her.
We’ve got a renewed faith that things are equalized for her, and for girls like her.”
Mary Kate Smith said her favorite athletes range from women’s soccer legends (Mia
Hamm, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan) to football pros (Peyton and Eli Manning,
Brett Favre, and Deion Branch, who began his college career at JCJC). And while she’s
prepared to play Division-I soccer next fall at the University of Southern Mississippi
and considering a career as an orthodontist, she’s still getting used to being a football
hero at home.
Bobby Harvison Photography
Smith serves as an inspiration to other young women.
“I was running off the field during a break in the game,” she said, “and two little girls
ran up and said, ‘Mary Kate, we love you! You’re my hero!’ I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh! I
love you, too.’”
Follow TODAY.com writer Chris Serico on Twitter.
Tags: Good News, Good News, Football, homecoming-queen
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (8)
From the Web
More from TODAY.com
Robert Griffin III Marries Rebecca Liddicoat
(ThePostGame)
Mom of unvaccinated teen fires back at
critics: Here's why
12 Great Movies We Just Dont Ever Want to
See Again (Movieseum)
Video: Kathie Lee: I was not off having
cosmetic surgery
Where Are They Now? Watch Married at
First Sight: The First Year. (FYI)
Stop the flu: The item of winter clothing you
need to wash right now
For The Men: Signs A Woman Is Flirting
With You (MadameNoire)
Video: Michelle Obama’s State of the Union
outfit sparks buzz
31 Times That Google Street View Did Not
Disappoint Us. #16 Is Almost Too Crazy.
Sean Penn says union with Charlize Theron
would be a 'first marriage'
(ViralNova)
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Style
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Food
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
beauty
tips
shopping
real weddings
bobbie's buzz
hair
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
People
Purls of wisdom: A daughter finds relief for
grief in knitting
Adrienne Mand Lewin
TODAY contributor
March 19, 2014 at 12:28 PM ET
!
"
From the Web
#
Sponsored Links
8 Signs to C a ll It Quits on aa…
…
$
The D a i l y 8
Where Are They Now ? Wa tch Ma rried
a t First Sight: The First Yea r.
FYI
by Taboola
TODAY
Knitter C.J. Arabia, who took up the craft after her mother's death, is shown working on a
new project.
At the end of 2008, the unthinkable happened to C.J. Arabia. Her mother — the healthy
one who lived on baked chicken and broccoli and who wouldn’t let her kids use a
microwave — was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer and given three months to
live.
To ease her through grueling chemotherapy, Arabia’s mother took up knitting. When
she passed away at 59, Arabia’s brothers gave her their mother’s leftover yarn to keep,
though she had never knitted before. But she absolutely knew that was the yarn’s
purpose. “I stared at it in the corner,” she said. “It’s weird how a bag of yarn can give
you so many feelings.”
Advertise
Advertise
So after several months of waiting to start and when YouTube tutorials didn’t do the
trick, she took a local knitting class in Los Angeles and has “kind of been knitting
excessively ever since.”
There have been hats, scarves, masks for dogs, mittens — anything that strikes her
fancy — and she doesn’t follow patterns when making her artwork. The 44-year-old has
documented herself knitting everywhere from the Grand Sumo Tournament in Japan to
castles in Europe. Her designs are whimsical (a "Clockwork Orange" ski mask), intricate
(multicolored hooded capes) and practical (soft, knitted bookmarks). She has given
herself carpal tunnel syndrome from all of the knitting, or maybe it was the purling.
But most of all, she has healed her grieving heart. “For me, knitting is like a meditation.
It almost takes me out of my head when I can be sad or stressed or anxious … it helps
so much.”
She read somewhere that knitting and
meditation light up the same parts of
the brain, and though she had always
had trouble meditating, she finds that
“knitting is a way to just kind of float.
You’re floating with the waves, just
bobbing up and down. That’s how
the stitches are for me. That’s all you
can think about.”
Arabia’s family and friends have been
the beneficiaries of her habit — “If you
know me, you have something knitted
from me.”
Courtesy of CJ Arabia
She gives away almost everything she
makes. “People tell me I should sell
my stuff — and occasionally I do —
but I give the vast majority away,”
Arabia said. “For one, nobody wants
to pay what a hand-knitted item,
made with really good natural fibers,
is actually worth.”
Acclaimed songwriter and "Shudder To Think" singer Craig
Wedren wears a cape gifted to him by C.J. Arabia.
Yarn is purchased anywhere from $36
a ball to $60 a ball and up through
her travels, though her favorite store is Knitty City on Manhattan’s Upper West Side,
which she calls her “Vatican.”
“Going into a yarn store for me is like kids walking into a toy store,” Arabia said,
adding, “I smell the yarns, sometimes I smell the sheep or llama or alpaca or hay. The
more natural the fiber, it has little bits of dirt and hay. To me, they’re lucky and I leave
them in.”
No scrap is wasted — she will use colorful odds and ends to create vibrant designs. And
knitting has become so natural that Arabia doesn’t have to see what she’s doing. “I can
feel in the dark if I have made a mistake,” she said. “I can go back and fix the mistake
without looking.”
She does have a following in certain Hollywood circles. Her boyfriend is film and
television actor Mather Zickel (of “Rachel Getting Married” and recently Showtime’s
“Masters of Sex.”) A longtime friend is Janeane Garofalo. She has other famous friends,
not that she’ll drop any names. “I live in L.A.,” she said, “it’s just my friends happen to
be celebrities.”
Advertise
Advertise
TODAY
C.J. models a design she will most likely give away to one her friends or someone in need.
TODAY
Aside from hats, capes and scarves, C.J. also fashions items for shelter cats and dogs.
While Arabia is a Web engineer by day, she has turned knitting into a way to give back
and help others. She has knitted with residents at a local nursing home, many of whom
speak languages other than English. “What they all spoke was knitting,” she said. “I
could help them with their stitches and it didn’t matter what they spoke.”
In addition, she visits area cancer patients and knits for them. “I can’t cure cancer,” she
said. “I can’t cure the pain that my mom was going through. But I can make someone
who is suffering a hat and talk to them about colors for a day.”
She creates blankets and beds for shelter cats and dogs through SnugglesProject.org.
And she’ll teach anyone who wants to learn how to knit — as long as they show up on
time.
“People come up to me when I’m knitting in public and ask me about it. They tell me
stories of their grandmas who taught them to knit but they haven’t done it since they
were a kid but always think of getting back into it.
“I always encourage them to get back into it and tell them how I learned,” she said. “It’s
always a good idea to get back into knitting, and it’s never too late.”
TODAY
C.J. and her dog Molly, dressed in a knitted design, share a cuddle in Los Angeles.
But really, Arabia said, her “knititation” has been therapeutic.
“It can be an escape from sadness, anxiety, fear, or just beating yourself up in your own
head, or rehearsing and re-rehearsing old conversations and situations,” she said.
“These are things my brain does sometimes, and I’m so grateful to my mom and to all
the knitters who have come and gone before for passing this down through the
generations. It’s such a beautiful craft.”
Tags: Style, people, News
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (1)
From the Web
More from TODAY.com
8 Signs to Call It Quits on a Relationship
(The Daily 8)
6 reasons why doctors are so afraid of
measles
Where Are They Now? Watch Married at
First Sight: The First Year. (FYI)
Video: Michelle Obama’s State of the Union
outfit sparks buzz
This Guy's Wife Got Cancer, So He Did
Something Unforgettable. The Last 3
Photos Destroyed Me. (ViralNova)
Mom of unvaccinated teen fires back at
critics: Here's why
Building A Timeless Wardrobe? Precision Is
Key (The Line)
Affordable Dream Vacation: Top 10 Cheap
All-Inclusie Resorts (TripCurator)
Video: Hoda, Jenna: Why do men like
trashy women?
Sean Penn says union with Charlize Theron
would be a 'first marriage'
Gift Guides
Perfect Valentine's Day gifts based on
your relationship status
Mary Peffer
TODAY contributor
!
"
#
$
1 hour ago
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which means defining your devotion to your sweetheart —
no pressure or anything. Trying to find the perfect gift to express how you feel on an
arbitrary day can feel stressful at best and totally forced at worst.
We say, take a breather and keep it simple. Here’s a breakdown of foolproof gifts that
will fit any stage of your relationship.
0-3 months | Share a favorite book
If one were to rank romantic gestures, gifting a favorite book would only be surpassed
by the epic mixtape (RIP). It says, "I think you’re intelligent and we might just look at
the world through a similar lens." Swoon! Yet, it also doesn't feel too forward if the
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Style
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Food
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
beauty
tips
shopping
real weddings
bobbie's buzz
hair
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
People
Charity supports women in need, literally - with bras
Adrienne Mand Lewin
TODAY contributor
April 3, 2014 at 10:26 AM ET
!
"
#
From the Web
$
Uncovering a Free Bla ck Ma n's P a st:
Buying a Sla ve to Unite His Fa mily
Sponsored Links
Ancest r y
9 La st Na mes on the Brink of
of…
…
My Her i t a ge
Breast Oasis
Volunteers at Breast Oasis speak to women in need of undergarments. Every distribution,
about once a month, gives away 100-200 bras serving women in 13 states.
by Taboola
Dr. John Pedersen, a plastic surgeon of Akron, Ohio, does some nose jobs and facelifts,
but much of what he does allows patients to recover their body image after an illness or
trauma. "Yes, we do aesthetic surgery," he told TODAY.com, "but at the same time we
do a lot that makes them feel whole again."
It was that desire to help others that led to his founding Breast Oasis, a non-profit
organization that donates bras to women in need while providing health care
information and emotional support. Rather than spend "oodles of money" on
advertising, Pedersen found a new approach to connect better with the local
community.
"When we do our work in terms of reconstructions, your breasts are bigger, smaller or
reconstructed. By the time you enter my door to the time you leave, you will not be the
same," he said. "Nationwide, that is a huge number, and hence a huge number of
women that have bras that go to the trash. I thought that was just a huge waste."
His wife, a gynecologist, suggested that local shelters for women who have escaped
domestic violence would be in need of such donations. "A light went off," he recalled.
"They said, 'Are you kidding? We have shirts, shoes and skirts, but of course we have
no bras.'"
So Breast Oasis was born in 2009. The group collects gently used or new bras through
drop boxes or online. They are dry cleaned, sorted by size and given to women who
need them. More than 110,000 undergarments have been donated to various domestic
violence, homeless and service organizations, according to Breast Oasis. There are now
affiliate groups in 13 states and partnerships with Bloomingdale's and other retailers
and groups.
"Half of the bras that we're getting are new — we're cutting the tags off to give them
away," Pedersen said. "People are going out of their way to purchase bras just to give
Advertise
Advertise
AloeCure For Acid
Reflux
startaloecure.com/Acid-Reflux
(1) Little Secret to Stopping Acid
Reflux for Good - Read More.
Become an Actor
onesourcetalent.com
Open Casting for Actors: Roles in
Movies & TV - Get Started Here!
them away. It just blows my mind."
Beyond just helping with a practical need, Pedersen said it transforms the way women
look at themselves.
"Our bras and words are a physical
and emotional gift," Pedersen said.
"We can say that with every
distribution there is never a dry eye.
We are welcomed as if it is Christmas."
Pedersen also hopes to change the
minds of people whose perception of
his field is warped by celebrities with
Breast Oasis
seemingly impossible amounts of
Women receive Breast Oasis bras, many which have never
plastic surgery. "Plastic surgeons
been worn and stil have the tags.
have been pigeonholed," he said.
"Our public image needs a facelift — pun intended — and Breastoasis.org is a great
place to start."
It was important to provide an educational component as well. In honor of his mother,
who died from breast cancer, he felt it was important to reach this "captive audience."
"These are the people most at risk of not having good health care," Pedersen said, "and
these are the people we see usually in the very last stages of breast cancer. Why not
utilize this as a method of teaching breast health?"
When volunteers distribute the bras, they educate women on topics such as how to do
breast self-examinations and other information they might not otherwise receive. "Then
they get the bras," he said. "They get access to health care education and
understanding, plus we're providing the bra itself."
Perhaps just as important is a network of emotional support for the women. After
finding that many who donated wanted to "express some words" to recipients, Breast
Oasis created a BIN — bra identification number — to match them up with messages of
hope and encouragement. Those who get a bra with a BIN number can see the
sentiments online.
"It's across the board, from religious to other things — from the person donating the bra
do those receiving the bras," Pedersen said.
And those on the receiving end are grateful. "We have gals coming through these
programs say, 'This is crazy, but I want to thank you for what you did. I can't believe a
system is out there in terms of something so remedial, in terms of who we are and what
we do in life.'"
Tags: Style, people, News
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (0)
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Food
News
SHOW ME:
all
on the show
Health
Money
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
the royals
good news
rossen reports
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
American Story
Hunk of learning love: Meet the inspiring
teacher who imitates Elvis
Bob Dotson
NBC News
March 25, 2014 at 8:45 AM ET
!
"
From the Web
#
$
Teacher brings Elvis inspiration into
MARCH
Teacher brings Elvis
classroom
25
inspiration into classroom
Sponsored Links
Building A Timeless Wa rdrobe?
P recision Is Key
The L i ne
Afforda ble Drea m Va ca tion: Top 10
C hea p All-Inclusie Resorts
Tr i pC ur a t or
by Taboola
advertisement
Video: TODAY’s Bob Dotson travels to Sand Springs, Okla., to tell the American Story of teacher who’s using
his talents (including impersonating the King of Rock ’n’Roll) to inspire students, reminding them to keep their
promises.
Some of us are lucky enough to have had a great teacher, a cheerleader who shapes
our lives. Frank Cooper does more than shout: Like a poet, he wrote something that
sticks. Years after they first heard it, former students of Charles Page High School in
Sand Springs, Okla., can recite it word for word.
“K-Y-P,” Kelsey Morris said. “I remember it, even a dozen years out of high school. It
means 'keep your promises.'”
Advertise
The message of those three letters is so important to him, Morris had them tattooed on
his wrist as a daily reminder to keep his promises. They left an indelible mark on his
teacher, too.
“For a long time in my life,” Frank Cooper said, “I was a taker, a ‘what can you do for
me' kind of guy.” He studied to be a lawyer, but two decades ago he left behind a
lucrative legal career, taking a 50 percent pay cut, to teach high school.
Sometimes, when you climb the ladder of success, you find it’s been leaning against
the wrong wall.
Frank’s wife, Mary, recalled: “Of course I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God: Going to work with a
bunch of 14- and 15-year-olds has got to be worse than being in court yelling at
somebody, right?”
Cooper called her after his first day in class. “Honey,” he said, “I might have made the
Advertise
wrong choice.”
So he tried a new approach: On Elvis Presley’s birthday, he showed up dressed like the
King of Rock 'n' Roll. In Frank Cooper’s class, history comes alive.
“You got to get up in your Elvis power stance, man. Like this.” Frank leans back and
plays air guitar for his class, the wig on his head resembling a frightened wolverine.
“Kind of an athletic stance, like you’re wrestling.”
Learn about Bob Dotson's book "American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People
Doing Extraordinary Things."
A boy pops up from his desk and mimics him. “Throw out your arms, 'cause the King’s
like into karate and stuff,” Frank advises him. He pretends to grab the student. “Rip out
your throat.” The kid grins.
Advertise
Advertise
Jerry Hattan
Teacher Frank Cooper channels Elvis at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, Okla.
“Now say in a deep Elvis voice: ‘Thank you... thank you very much.'”
“Thank you,” the boy croaks, “thank you very much.” His classmates roar. Nothing
helps a teenager learn like laughter.
Yet with all this silliness, Frank is simply keeping a promise: the one he made at his
father’s deathbed. “I promise you, Daddy,” he said, “the next time you see me, I’ll have
done something to make you proud.”
Now Frank turns serious, standing in front of his students. “What has somebody done
for you to make you feel a little bit more significant?" he asks. "We’re talking about
kindness. Give people a sense of significance. Let them know they matter.”
So year after year, he scrawls "KYP," Keep Your Promise, on his classroom chalkboard
— and sets out to do just that.
He persuaded Matt Wood, for example, to look beyond the football field and his family
ranch. When he got into medical school, Matt called his old teacher first. In a few
weeks, he will become a doctor.
“The work that Mr. Cooper started won’t ever end,” Matt said.
Another former student, Mandy Buntin, wants to be a teacher just like Mr. Cooper. “Are
you in the book club?” she asks a young girl who read 11 books over winter break.
“Nah,” says the girl.
“You should get in there,” Mandy urges.
At times like this, Frank believes he sees his father. “And I think about him nodding his
head.”
As Mandy Buntin's classroom begins to fill, I ask her: “Has it hit you that you are taking
all these life lessons from an Elvis impersonator?”
Mandy laughs. “Well, let’s just say I hope Elvis never leaves the building.”
Oh, but he has. The best of him lives on in Frank Cooper's students.
“You guys are important,” Frank tells them as they head out of class. “I love you. Have
a great day, and remember: The joy of life is...”
They all respond as one: “The journey.”
Do you know someone outstanding? Email Bob Dotson.
Tags: Good News, American Story, Bob Dotson, Education, elvis-impersonator
!
share
" tweet
$ email
comment (6)
From the Web
More from TODAY.com
Building A Timeless Wardrobe? Precision Is
Key (The Line)
Kate Gosselin 'surprised' she was fired from
'Celebrity Apprentice'
Affordable Dream Vacation: Top 10 Cheap
All-Inclusie Resorts (TripCurator)
Video: Michelle Obama’s State of the Union
outfit sparks buzz
10 Awesome Movies That Slipped Through
the Cracks (Answers)
Have you had your measles shot? Maybe
you need another
Acclaimed Expert's Surprising Take on
Paying Off Mortgage (Bills.com)
Video: Keep up with Wrangler via live
puppy cam
50+ Easter Eggs You Missed in Every
Marvel Movie (Ranker.com)
Ellen DeGeneres ushers in 57 with sweet pic
with wife Portia de Rossi
Promoted Links by Taboola
Super Bowl
Was Pete Carroll's final call the worst ever
in NFL Super Bowl history?
TODAY
4 hours ago
!
"
Video: Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s decision to pass instead of run at the climax of the Super Bowl
obsessed social media, with many calling it the worst play call in NFL history. Carson Daly reports from the
Orange Room.
#
$
Tags: TODAY News, Super Bowl, On the show, News
!
share
TODAY.com is a production of
" tweet
$ email
About us
comment (0)
Contact
Sitemap
Jobs
Terms and conditions - New
About our ads
Privacy policy
Closed captioning
Advertise
Help
Watch the Show
News
Pop Culture
Food
Health
Money
Pop Culture
all
SHOW ME:
celebs
tv
movies
Pets
Parents
Style
KLG & Hoda
Orange Room
More
Sign in ▾
follow us
toyota concert series
nostalgia
awards
search topics
Advertise |
AdChoices
Celebs
Walken? No, Christopher's dancin' in viral
video
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
TODAY
!
March 20, 2014 at 1:29 PM ET
Christopher Walken is famed for his acting, not his dancing, although he studied at the
Washington Dance Theatre and boogied his way through Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of
Choice" video back in 2001. It's those dancin' feet that are showcased in a new viral
video mashing together clips of Walken dancing — kind of — in 57 of his movies.
"
$
From the Web
#
Ka te Middleton's Appea ra nce a t
Recent P ublic Outing Is Quite
Quite…
…
Sponsored Links
S t i r r i ng D a i l y
Jill Dugga r's Ba by Na me Isn't One
Her Mom & Da d Would P ick
Ma ma s L a t i na s
by Taboola
Who knew the Oscar-winning actor had so much rhythm in him? Sometimes he's gently
waltzing across a living room, sometimes he's performing in an old-school Broadwaystyle number. Sometimes he's casually clad in a plaid shirt or a janitor's uniform,
sometimes he's decked out in gold lamé with a cane.
Films featured in the Huffington Post-made mash-up include everything from "The Deer
Hunter" and "Pulp Fiction" to "Hairspray" and "Batman Returns." The only
disappointment: Never once does he call for "more cowbell."
Follow Gael Fashingbauer Cooper on Google+.
Tags: Celebs, Celebs, Christopher Walken, viral videos, Trending, Movies
!
share
" tweet
# email
comment (0)
NPR Second Place, Staff Online ǻměřįčǻ
įňțěřňǻțįǿňǻŀ
ěčǿňǿmỳ
mųșț řěǻđș
čǿňțǻčț ųș
america
Břǿțħěřș Ǿň Č-ȘPǺŇ Đįvįđěđ Bỳ Pǿŀįțįčș,
Ųňįțěđ İň Mǿřțįfįčǻțįǿň Bỳ Mǿm'ș Čǻŀŀ
ĐĚČĚMBĚŘ 16, 2014
3:19 PM ĚȚ
ĶŘİȘĦŇǺĐĚV ČǺĿǺMŲŘ
Brad and Dallas Woodhouse are brothers. Brad is president of the liberal group
Americans United for Change. Dallas Woodhouse, a conservative, is president of
Carolina Rising. They were both on C­SPAN's Washington Journal to talk about their
documentary, Woodhouse Divided.
The documentary "is the story of all families and the kinds of stories they have around
their thanksgiving tables and the conversations they'll have with their extended
families round the Christmas table," Dallas Woodhouse said.
The brothers proceeded to field calls and argue about politics in general and the
Affordable Care Act in particular. That's when their mother called in.
We can describe what happened next, but it's probably best to watch the video at
around the 16:20 mark.
Fǻňș Ǿf 'Țħě Ģǿǿđ Ẅįfě' Řǿčķěđ Bỳ [Șpǿįŀěř
Ǻŀěřț]
MǺŘČĦ 24, 2014
4:44 PM ĚȚ
ĚĿİŻǺBĚȚĦ BĿǺİŘ
Ŀįșțěň țǿ țħě Șțǿřỳ
All Things Considered
3 min 8 sec
Matthew Goode (left) as Finn Polmar and Josh Charles (right) as Will Gardner in Sunday night's episode of CBS's
The Good Wife.
CBS
The CBS legal drama The Good Wife centers on smart, attractive Chicago lawyer Alicia
Florrick. She's "the good wife" because she stood by her politician husband when he
cheated on her.
But the show's most compelling story line has always been between Alicia and another
lawyer, Will Gardner. And if you don't want to know what happened in that storyline
last night, stop reading NOW.
No, Really: Major Spoiler Ahead
Will Gardner, played by actor Josh Charles, was killed in a courtroom shooting — and
it's safe to say that longtime fans watching the show were stunned. Susan Anastasi, a
fan in Maryland, says she got pretty riled up.
"I was so mad," she exclaims. "I thought, 'How could they do it?' Because the sexual
tension between Alicia and Will has always been the heart of the show — and we've
been rooting for them to get together since the show began, but she kept going back to
her cheating husband."
Even TV critics, who can usually sniff out these explosive episodes ahead of time, were
caught off guard.
MǾŇĶĚỲ ȘĚĚ
Ugh: 'Good
Wife,' Bad Idea
"It sort of took me a while to wrestle with my feelings
beyond just shock," admits Time magazine's James
Poniewozik.
As soon as the episode aired last night, CBS began
explaining the decision to fans.
"However much I've enjoyed the experience," actor Josh Charles says in an online
video, "I was ready for the next chapter of my life both creatively and personally."
Knowing the outrage would be swift, showrunners Robert and Michelle King posted a
letter on the CBS website. They write that they could have sent Will Gardner "off to
Seattle" or had him disbarred. But, they said, "there was something in the passion that
Will and Alicia shared that made distance a meager hurdle."
So, they killed him. They hope the event will propel Alicia into "her newest
incarnation."
Some fans and critics are not impressed. "Why The ... Shocking Twist Betrayed the
Show's Characters," wrote Vulture. And the headline on our own pop­culture blog
reads "Ugh: 'Good Wife,' Bad Idea."
Killing off a major TV character is nothing new, of course: Think Matthew Crawley on
Downton Abbey, or Brian Griffin on Family Guy. But Poniewozik isn't sure how this
particular fatality will play out.
"I liked at least the adventurousness of it," he says. "Whether or not it ruins the show,
tune in next week."
No doubt there will be lots of tears — and, since this is a legal drama, some jockeying
for Will's position.
Support comes from:
© 2015 npr
Fįňňįșħěđ! Řųșșįǻň Ħǿčķěỳ Țěǻm Bǿųňčěđ
Ǿųț Ǿf Ǿŀỳmpįčș
FĚBŘŲǺŘỲ 19, 2014
9:45 ǺM ĚȚ
MǺŘĶ MĚMMǾȚȚ
Russian fans who gathered in Sochi's Olympic Park react with dismay as they watch a broadcast of the ice hockey
match between Russia and Finland.
Shamil Zhumatov /Reuters/Landov
"Uskotko ihmeisiin?"
No, this isn't exactly a "do you believe in miracles?" bit of history for Finland, but its
men's hockey team just produced a moment­to­remember at the Sochi Games.
Finland beat Russia 3­1, bouncing the home team out of the tournament.
As NPR's Robert Smith has reported, there was tremendous pressure on Alex
Ovechkin and his Russian teammates to win gold in Sochi.
Score! Finland's Juhamatti Aaltonen (right) celebrates after scoring Wednesday during his team's victory over Russia.
Larry W. Smith /EPA/Landov
Ovechkin, who plays for the NHL's Washington Capitals, has been "the single biggest
thing in Sochi," Robert noted. "His face is on every Coca­Cola billboard and ad — and
you know Coca­Cola doesn't skimp on the ad budget."
And listening to Ovechkin last week, Robert added, "you can tell how much Team
Russia is animated by history. They talk constantly of the 1980 Miracle on Ice upset,
when they were beaten by Team USA. And their loss four years ago in Vancouver.
'When we lost to the Canadians,' Ovechkin said, 'it was a big blow to us. It was a big
failure. It was a big blow to everyone in Russia.' "
But Wednesday, Team Finland responded after falling behind 1­0. The Finns fought
back to lead by two goals at the end of the second period and then defended "for their
lives" the rest of the way, as The Guardian says.
Russia had been among the favorites to win a medal. Finland now goes on to face
another of the top teams, Sweden.
Team USA, another club that's been among the medal favorites, plays later today
against the Czech Republic.
Canada, always a medal contender, plays Latvia today.
Update at 7 p.m. ET: USA and Canada Advance
With victories today, the U.S. and Canadian teams set up a semifinals meeting. That
game will happen Friday. The bronze match is Saturday; the gold is on Sunday, the
final day of the Sochi Olympics.
șǿčħį ǿŀỳmpįčș
ħǿčķěỳ
řųșșįǻ
ǾĿĐĚŘ
Țěǻm ŲȘǺ'ș Țěđ Ŀįģěțỳ Ẅįňș Ģǿŀđ İň Ģįǻňț Șŀǻŀǿm
ŇĚẄĚŘ
Ẅįŀŀįǻmș İș Șěčǿňđ Ǻměřįčǻň Țǿ Ẅįň Ẅįňțěř Ǻňđ Șųmměř Ǿŀỳmpįč Měđǻŀș
Ǻbǿųț
ǻměřįčǻ
įňțěřňǻțįǿňǻŀ
ěčǿňǿmỳ
mųșț řěǻđș
čǿňțǻčț ųș
must reads
Ģįřŀ Șčǿųț Șěŀŀș Řěčǿřđ 18,107 Bǿxěș, Șǻỳș
Șħě Čǻň Mǿvě Șǻmǿǻ
MǺŘČĦ 24, 2014
6:38 PM ĚȚ
MǺŘĶ MĚMMǾȚȚ
Lisa Crigar/Ocala Star­Banner/Landov
Dough­she­does, for sure.
When it comes to selling Thin Mints, Do­si­dos, Tagalongs and other Girl Scout
cookies, all sixth­grader Katie Francis of Oklahoma City can seem to say is let me sell
Samoa. (Rimshot!)
KOCO­TV in Oklahoma City shares the story of her sweet success:
"Katie ... a sixth­grader at Hefner Middle School, set a new cookie selling record
Sunday night by selling 18,107 boxes [since sales began on Feb. 7].
" 'I was just really, really happy,' said Katie. 'I started dancing around. I was excited
that I had made it.' "
What's her secret recipe?
As 12­year­old Katie told The Oklahoman last month, "there's three ingredients to
selling cookies: There's lot of time, lots of commitment, and I have to ask everybody
that I see (to buy)."
KOCO adds that "along with her mother, Katie pushes her wagon of cookies all over
the Oklahoma City metro. ... The family's SUV is stuffed with boxes of cookies, so Katie
can make a sell anywhere from school to dance class."
The previous record, according to ABC News, was 18,000 boxes over the
approximately 7 weeks that sales last.
Katie, by the way, thinks she can sell 20,000 boxes next year.
According to The Associated Press, Katie's troop plans to donate part of the money it
earns to breast cancer research groups.
She's not the only enterprising Girl Scout we've posted about during this cookie
season. You may recall this post:
Enterprising Girl Scout Sells Cookies Outside Marijuana Clinic
ķǻțįě fřǻňčįș
čǿǿķįěș
ģįřŀ șčǿųț čǿǿķįěș
ģįřŀ șčǿųțș
ǻměřįčǻ
įňțěřňǻțįǿňǻŀ
ěčǿňǿmỳ
mųșț řěǻđș
čǿňțǻčț ųș
america
Ħěŀŀ Ħǻș Fřǿżěň Ǿvěř, Ħěǻđŀįňě Ẅřįțěřș
Řějǿįčě
JǺŇŲǺŘỲ 08, 2014
9:12 ǺM ĚȚ
MǺŘĶ MĚMMǾȚȚ
Hell, Mich., is embracing its frozen fame. The town's Facebook page now features this photo from 2003.
Keasha LeClear­Morse/Facebook.com/gotohellmichigan
When it gets super­cold in Hell, Mich., guess what headline writers and radio hosts
have to say about it:
Hell Has Frozen Over
A Google News search of that phrase at 8:45 a.m. ET Wednesday turned up 3,980
results.
The hardy souls in the tiny town near Ann Arbor don't seem to mind the attention.
play audio
pause audio
play
Tweet Like
The "Go To Hell" Facebook page's cover photo has been changed to show the icicles
hanging off the "Hell" sign at the edge of town.
The town's mayor, John Colone, has gone on BBC4Today to joke about just how cold it
is — and to admit rather sheepishly that in an absent­minded moment he put his car
key in his mouth while he was outside. Colone said he "had to go and throw water" on
his mouth because "it stuck to my lips."
Rest assured, just as Hell has frozen over, it will thaw. The Weather Channel predicts
temperatures in the area will reach about 40 degrees on Saturday.
Oh, and how did Hell get its name?
Pure Michigan Connect, "Michigan's Official Travel and Tourism Blog," says:
"There are a few theories on the origin of the name for Hell, Michigan. The most
popular involves a man in the 1840's named George Reeves who, when asked by
officials what he wanted to name the settlement he helped start, replied, 'Call it Hell for
I care!' Another story of the town's name comes from the frontiersmen who traveled the
low­lying wetlands at the height of mosquito season. After traveling through such wet
and infested terrain they referred to it as 'Hell.' "
The GoToHell.com site offers another possibility:
"First settled in 1838 by George Reeves, Hell started out as a grist mill and general
store on the banks of what is now Hell Creek. George's habit of paying local farmers
with homemade whiskey made many wives to comment 'He's gone to Hell again' when
questioned about their husband's wherabouts during harvest time. This name stuck,
and 'Hell' became an official town in 1841."
As Morning Edition said Wednesday, there's another theory: The name may come
"from the German word for 'bright.' "
We've been tracking the serious stories about the super­cold, as well:
— Death Toll From Deep Freeze Tops 20; Warm­Up Is Coming
— Deaths Are Bitter Reminder Of Cold Snap's Dangers
ħěŀŀ
ħěŀŀ, mįčħįģǻň
čǿŀđ ẅěǻțħěř
șěvěřě ẅěǻțħěř
ẅįňțěř ẅěǻțħěř
ǾĿĐĚŘ
Đěčěmběř Pǿșțș Șțřǿňģěșț Jǿb Ģǻįňș Ǿf 2013, Șųřvěỳ Șħǿẅș
ŇĚẄĚŘ
ŇǺȘǺ Řěpǿřțěđŀỳ Ģěțș ǾĶ Țǿ Ķěěp Șpǻčě Șțǻțįǿň Ģǿįňģ Ųňțįŀ 2024
Ǻbǿųț
Șųbșčřįbě
ŇPŘ Ňěẅș Țẅįțțěř
© 2015 npr
ǻměřįčǻ
įňțěřňǻțįǿňǻŀ
ěčǿňǿmỳ
mųșț řěǻđș
čǿňțǻčț ųș
İf Ỳěŀŀǿẅșțǿňě Čǿųŀđ Țǻŀķ, İț Mįģħț Șqųěǻķ.
Bŀǻmě Țħě Ħěŀįųm
FĚBŘŲǺŘỲ 19, 2014
3:39 PM ĚȚ
ŇĚĿĿ ĢŘĚĚŇFİĚĿĐBǾỲČĚ
Ŀįșțěň țǿ țħě Șțǿřỳ
All Things Considered
Sunset on the Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park.
Bill Young/Flickr
3 min 20 sec
A huge amount of ancient helium is rising up from the rocks beneath Yellowstone
National Park — about enough to fill up a Goodyear blimp every week.
The gas comes from a vast store of helium that's accumulated in the Earth's crust for
hundreds of millions of years, scientists report in the journal Nature this week.
The helium is being released because in the past couple of million years — very
recently, in geologic time — that old part of the crust has been feeling the heat from a
huge volcano that is now sleeping underneath the park.
Hot steam and gas emerge from a fumarole where the boiling­temperature vapor is diverted into an evacuated
sample bottle. Freshwater cools the outside of the bottle, making it easier to collect a complete sample.
J. Lowenstern/U.S. Geological Survey
Usually, volcanoes form at the edges of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's
crust. But the Yellowstone volcano is in the middle of a plate, says Bill Evans of the
U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif.
"It's a part of the crust that formed a very long time ago, billions of years ago, and it's
basically been stable since that time," says Evans.
But the plate is moving over a hot spot, and a plume of molten rock from deep within
the Earth has been pushing up into these old rocks.
"They've had this boring, peaceful existence and now suddenly they're put on the front
burner," Evans says. "They're really getting cooked."
All that cooking is driving out helium that's been trapped inside the rock for a long
time, he says.
The finding came as a surprise to scientists who look for clues about what's happening
beneath Yellowstone by collecting the gases that bubble up.
Yellowstone is famous for all of its gurgling and burbling. Besides geysers like Old
Faithful, there are caldrons of boiling mud that smell of sulfur, and steaming hot
springs with sapphire­blue pools.
Jake Lowenstern of the USGS says researchers collect samples of the gases with simple
tools like plastic funnels, tubes and probes that they stick in the ground. Then they
analyze the gases back in the lab.
"And we had sort of an 'Aha' moment where we realized, wow, that there's a lot of
crustal helium coming out of Yellowstone — far more than we would have predicted,"
Lowenstern says, referring to a type of helium produced by the radioactive decay of
elements in the Earth's crust.
As the researchers report in Nature, the amount being released by the rocks below
Yellowstone is prodigious.
"It's kind of an interesting thought to us, how these rocks behave," Evans says,
"because it's very rare on the face of the Earth to have vulcanism come into rocks that
have been that stable for that long."
Gas passes through a hot spring at the Shoshone Geyser Basin in Yellowstone. A funnel is used to transfer the gas to
an evacuated sampling bottle.
J. Lowenstern/U.S. Geological Survey
"This is very unusual," agrees David Hilton, a geochemist at the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. "It's producing a huge flux of helium."
The only real practical applications of this discovery, however, are for geologists who
use helium to do things like figure out the age of groundwater supplies.
Even if Yellowstone weren't a protected national park, it wouldn't be economically
practical to try to collect the gas — so don't expect to someday be blowing up party
balloons with helium from Yellowstone.
Ħǿẅ Țǿ Ģěț Țǿ Șěșǻmě Țřěǻțș: Ǿpěň Ǻ Čǻň
Ǿf Țǻħįňį
ǺPŘİĿ 02, 2014
8:24 ǺM ĚȚ
ĐĚĚŇǺ PŘİČĦĚP
Deena Prichep for NPR
Get recipes for Greens And Tahini Borek, Warm Butternut Squash And Chickpea Salad With Tahini and
Sweet Braided Tahini Bread.
If you were going to make a desert­island list for your refrigerator, it's unlikely tahini
would make the cut. In fact, it might not even be in your standard mainland
refrigerator, unless you regularly cook food with a Middle Eastern or hippie influence.
Which is a bit of a shame. Because tahini is quite lovely, and capable of much more
than we usually give it credit for.
Ǻbǿųț Țħě
Ǻųțħǿř
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of
making its acquaintance (or, if you have, haven't
looked too closely at the ingredients listed on the label
Deena Prichep is a Portland,
of your jar), tahini is nothing more than sesame paste.
Ore.­based freelance print and
There's a version made with toasted seeds, for a
radio journalist. Her stories
deeper flavor, or the slightly blonder, more neutral­
have appeared on Morning
Edition, All Things Considered,
Marketplace, The Splendid
tasting "raw" tahini. It has some of the richness of a
nut butter, with a looser texture and subtler flavor.
Table, Voice of America, The
World and Northwest News
There can be a bit of confusion about what you're
Network, and in The
referring to, as we tend to use the term "tahini" for
Oregonian, Vegetarian Times
and Portland Monthly. She
chronicles her cooking
both the paste itself and the lemony, garlicky sauce
made from it (also known as taratour in Arabic).
experiments at Mostly
Foodstuffs.
Beyond stirring the paste into a batch of hummus,
this sauce is frequently the only way we enjoy tahini.
Mediterranean Flatbreads: A
Framework For Flavor Jan. 11, 2012
Take Time To Savor The Borek, A
Flaky Turkish Snack March 28, 2012
Frozen Meals Soothe The Sick And
Shut­In Nov. 21, 2012
A Slight Twist On The Sunday
Roast Jan. 23, 2013
Tahini sauce is lashed onto falafel, adding a tangy,
soppy counterpoint to the crunchy fried patties. Or, if
we're feeling a bit more adventurous, tahini sauce is
paired with quinoa, or tofu or heartier salads. But if
you start looking toward those cuisines that are more
familiar with tahini — Lebanese, Turkish, Armenian,
etc. — you'll find that it can go far beyond falafel.
In much of the Middle East, tahini is seen as more of a workhorse building block than
niche condiment. It's used in hummus and falafel sauce, sure. But it's also used almost
in the same way we would use butter or mayonnaise, adding heft to both savory and
sweet preparations. Tahini never hides its nutty nature, so it doesn't quite disappear in
the same subtle way those other ingredients would. But the rich flavor can be
surprisingly delicious in these new contexts (and a boon to those who want the
luxuriousness but don't want dairy).
As you can see from opening any jar or can of tahini, this is not a low­fat product — it's
swirling with deliciously rich oil. But that's precisely why it works so well in so many
contexts, adding depth to baked dishes and cold salads alike. And like other nut and
seed butters, tahini's fats are those good fats — the omegas we're encouraged to
consume. It also contains trace minerals, and fiber and calcium.
More than that, it's just plain good. So try expanding your tahini horizons. Swirl it into
sweet bread, or ladle it onto baked fish. Or, really, whatever you want. Sure, tahini may
never make your desert island list. But it can find a home in a surprising range of
dishes.
Ģřěěňș Ǻňđ Țǻħįňį Bǿřěķ
Deena Prichep for NPR
Many diners are familiar with feta­studded Greek spanakopita, or the sumac­tangy
Middle Eastern fatayer. In this version, adapted from Armenian­Lebanese cookbook
ỳǿųř ħěǻŀțħ
țřěǻțměňțș & țěșțș
ħěǻŀțħ įňč.
pǿŀįčỳ-įșħ
pųbŀįč ħěǻŀțħ
public health
Ňǿ, Șěřįǿųșŀỳ, Ħǿẅ Čǿňțǻģįǿųș İș Ěbǿŀǻ?
ǾČȚǾBĚŘ 02, 2014 10:59 ǺM ĚȚ
MİČĦǺĚĿĚĚŇ ĐǾŲČĿĚFF
Adam Cole/NPR
Update on Oct. 8: The Ebola patient in Dallas, the first diagnosed with the
virus in the U.S., has died.
Holy moly! There's a case of Ebola in the U.S.!
That first reaction was understandable. There's no question the disease is scary. The
World Health Organization now estimates that the virus has killed about 70 percent of
people infected in West Africa.
ȘĦǾŤȘ ĦĚǺĿŤĦ ŇĚẄȘ
On The Alert For
Ebola, Texas
Hospital Still
Missed First
Case
The Ebola case in Dallas is the first one diagnosed
outside Africa, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said Tuesday. And the health care system
in Texas didn't quarantine the man right away. He
was sick with Ebola — and contagious — for four days
before he was admitted to the hospital.
But when you look at health officials responding to the case in Dallas, they seem cool
as cucumbers, despite the initial misstep.
"I have no doubt that we will control this importation, or case, of Ebola so that it does
not spread widely in this country," said the director of the CDC, Dr. Tom Frieden.
Why is Frieden so sure this virus won't spread beyond a handful of cases?
It boils down to something called "R0."
The reproduction number, or "R nought," is a mathematical term that tells you how
contagious an infectious disease is. Specifically, it's the number of people who catch
the disease from one sick person, on average, in an outbreak.*
ĢǾǺŤȘ ǺŇĐ
ȘǾĐǺ
How Do You
Catch Ebola: By
Air, Sweat Or
Water?
Take, for example, measles. The virus is one of the
most contagious diseases known to man. It's R0 sits
around 18. That means each person with the measles
spreads it to 18 people, on average, when nobody is
vaccinated. (When everyone is vaccinated, the R0
drops to essentially zero for measles).
At the other end of the spectrum are viruses like HIV and hepatitis C. Their R0s tend
to fall somewhere between 2 and 4. They're still big problems, but they spread much
more slowly than the measles.
And that brings us back to Ebola. Despite its nasty reputation, the virus's R0 really
isn't that impressive. It typically sits around 1.5 to 2.0.
Even in the current epidemic in West Africa, where the virus has been out of control,
each person who has gotten sick has spread Ebola to only about two others, on
average.
Why is that?
ĢǾǺŤȘ ǺŇĐ
ȘǾĐǺ
A Frightening
Curve: How Fast
Is The Ebola
Outbreak
Growing?
Many factors contribute to the R0, such as how long
you're infectious** and how many virus particles are
needed to make another person sick.
But in Ebola's case, the mode of transmission
probably helps keep its R0 low. Ebola isn't spread
through the air, like the measles or flu. It requires
close contact with some bodily fluid, such as blood or vomit, containing the virus.
Now at this point, you're probably thinking, "OK. But an R0 of 2 is nothing to brush
off." You're right. R0 of 2 means one person infects two people, who then infect four
people, then eight, 16, 32 — the numbers go up fast.
But that isn't likely to happen in a place with a good public health system, like the U.S.
Why? Because people with Ebola aren't contagious until they show symptoms.
So to stop the chain of transmission, all health workers in Texas have to do is get the
people possibly infected by the sick man into isolation before these people show signs
of Ebola.
Then R0 drops to zero. And Texas is free of Ebola.
*We're talking the "basic" R0 here, for all you epidemiologists. So, the R0 that you get
when everyone in the population is susceptible to the disease.
**The R0 is integrated over the time that a person is infectious to others. For HIV, this
could be years. But for Ebola, that time is only about a week. So even though they have
similar R0s, Ebola's infections per unit of time is much higher than HIV's.
ěbǿŀǻ
ěpįđěmįǿŀǿģỳ
įňfěčțįǿųș đįșěǻșě
ģŀǿbǻŀ ħěǻŀțħ
ǾĿĐĚŘ
Ǿň Țħě Ǻŀěřț Fǿř Ěbǿŀǻ, Țěxǻș Ħǿșpįțǻŀ Șțįŀŀ Mįșșěđ Fįřșț Čǻșě
ŇĚẄĚŘ
Měđįčǻřě Fįňěș Řěčǿřđ Ňųmběř Ǿf Ħǿșpįțǻŀș Fǿř Ěxčěșșįvě Řěǻđmįșșįǿňș
Ǻbǿųț
Șųbșčřįbě
Ỳǿųř Ħěǻŀțħ Pǿđčǻșț
© 2015 npr


Search Twitter
Have an account? Log in NPR News 
 Follow
@nprnews​
So you're literally sick of grammar abuse? It impacts us all, you and I and whoever else. Read our very unique post: n.pr/1BlXDZz



RETWEETS
FAVORITES
287
314

2:57 PM ­ 1 Jan 2015
boringfileclerk @boringfileclerk ​
· Jan 1
@nprnews Id you use the word "literally" to be ironic?
   
Jake @JakeMHS​
· Jan 1
@nprnews I hate you
   5

Jake @JakeMHS​
· Jan 1
@boringfileclerk @nprnews you're a quick one
   
boringfileclerk @boringfileclerk ​
· Jan 1
@JakeMHS @nprnews :)
   
Trista Winnie @tristawinnie​
· Jan 1
@nprnews That's the meanest tweet I've ever read.
   
Speak for yourself @speak4yrself​
· Jan 1
@nprnews Speak for yourself.
   
Țħě Ǻvěřǻģě Ǻměřįčǻň Mǻň İș Țǿǿ Bįģ Fǿř
Ħįș Břįțčħěș
JŲĿỲ 25, 2014
3:10 PM ĚȚ
ȘĚŘŘİ ĢŘǺȘĿİĚ
Men — it's time to take a hard look at your pant size.
iStockphoto
When my colleague Viet Le started writing about his struggle to find clothing that fits
him as an "extra­small" man in a world that idolizes "big and tall," I was intrigued —
and a bit confused.
Viet has never struck me as an especially small guy. At 5 feet 6 inches tall and 128
pounds, is he really that far out of the mainstream?
Well, according to 2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
these are the measurements of the average American man:
Height: 5 feet 9 inches (69.3 inches) Weight: 195.5 pounds
Waist circumference: 39.7 inches
So, yes, Viet is exceptional by American standards. Artist Nickolay Lamm has modeled
what this hypothetical average man (age 30­39) might look like, comparing him with
other regular guys from across the world.
Sizes for average adult men in America, Japan, the Netherlands and France.
Courtesy of Nickolay Lamm
If he were wearing pants, you might think our average Joe would be in a size 38, 39 or
40, depending on the cut. But, turns out, the top­selling pant/trouser size in the U.S. is
actually a 34.
That information comes from Edward Gribbin, president of the clothing size and fit
consulting firm Alvanon. His company has body­scanned over 400,000 people across
the world and has access to sales­by­size figures for major U.S. retailers.
Jǿįň Țħě
Čǿňvěřșǻțįǿň
"Of the guys who actually have a waist close to the
average (between, say, 38 to 40 inches), the highest
percentage buy size 34 pants (close to 55 percent),
Use #menpr to join in the
followed by size 36 (about 35 percent). Only a very
conversation about men in
small percentage buy size 38," he explained in an
America on Twitter, Facebook
email.
and Instagram.
Where does the major discrepancy come from? A few
places. For one, "vanity sizing" — where the actual
size of a garment is bigger than advertised in an effort to flatter you — is not just for
women anymore. Gribbin says the waist measurement in a man's pant is generally 1.5
to 2 inches larger than the stated size. (Or up to 5 inches, if you're shopping at Old
Navy.)
Secondly, guys with a waist bigger than 35 to 36 inches tend to have a prominent belly,
Gribbin says. The more it sticks out, the lower men wear their pants.
"They can wear a smaller size, and though the belly hanging over is not the most
attractive sight, most men don't care," Gribbin says.
Finally, there may be a certain amount of stubbornness at play. Gribbin says men
don't intentionally "buy a smaller size for reasons of vanity" — they just continue to
grab the size that they've always bought.
"They are more creatures of habit, and if they wore size 34 as a younger man, they just
continue to buy that size ('their size') even after they've gained 10, 15, 20 pounds," he
says.
So, gentlemen, take some of the advice they've been dishing out to women forever:
Ignore what the tag says, try it on and buy what truly fits. Dress for the body you have,
not the body you think you have. Or want.
Serri Graslie is a producer for All Things Considered and NPR.org
© 2015 npr