Bedugul Coffee: October 2014

Friday October 31st, 2014

TOP STORIES

AIRSTRIKES AREN'T DETERRING FLOW OF FOREIGN FIGHTERS TO SYRIA "More than 1,000 foreign fighters are streaming into Syria each month, a rate that has so far been unchanged by airstrikes against the Islamic State and efforts by other countries to stem the flow of departures, according to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials." Here's a map of where the fighters are coming from. And Syrian rebels continue to seek U.S. assistance. [WaPo]

HUFFPOST POLLSTER: 67% CHANCE GOP TAKES SENATE And a 12.2% chance Greg Orman will determine the Senate majority. [HuffPost]

FROM GAZA TO JERUSALEM "Israel is careening into a new crisis on the heels of the Gaza war—an escalation of violence in East Jerusalem unseen in more than a decade that could pit U.S. allies against each other over Jewish settlements and holy sites. On Thursday, Israel completely shut one of Islam's holiest sites in the Old City for the first time in 14 years. The last time authorities barred all entry to the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, was at the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000. A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the closure a 'declaration of war' on Arabs and Muslims." [WSJ]

'A COLD WAR TRADITION' "Taken together, [the hacking of White House computers and flights in NATO airspace] represent the old and the updated techniques of Cold War signal-sending. In the Soviet era, both sides probed each other's defenses, hoping to learn something from the reaction those tests of will created. In 2014, cyber is the new weapon, one that can be used with less restraint, and because its creators believe they cannot be traced and can create a bit of havoc without prompting a response." [NYT]

NATIONAL GUARD HEADED TO HAWAII TOWN BEING ENGULFED BY LAVA No, this is not a horror movie script. [AP]

MEDICARE PAYS FOR DRUGS AFTER PATIENTS ARE DECEASED They're working on fixing that one. [AP]

MILITARY MEMBERS WARNED OF 'LONE-WOLF' ISIS THREATS Service members have been asked to be wary of what they post on social media and to be ever-vigilant as they are now "legitimate targets." [USA Today]

43 STUDENTS STILL MISSING IN MEXICO "After a student protest in Iguala, Mexico, last month, dozens of young men were seen being hauled off into police vans. Then, they vanished. One month later, 43 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teachers college are still missing and presumed dead. Instead of finding the students, authorities investigating the events of Sept. 26 have instead found other horrors: a string of mass graves, police working for drug cartels and government officials at the helm of a dark underworld." [HuffPost]

ALLEGED PENNSYLVANIA COP KILLER APPREHENDED "Eric Frein, the man wanted for allegedly killing a Pennsylvania state trooper before going on the lam for 48 days, is in police custody." [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

TIM COOK'S ANNOUNCEMENT 'RESONATES' "Tim Cook's declaration on Thursday that 'I'm proud to be gay' made him the first publicly gay chief executive of a Fortune 500 company. But Mr. Cook isn't just any chief executive. And Apple isn't any company. It's one of the most profitable companies in the Fortune 500 and ranks No. 1 on the magazine's annual ranking of the most admired companies. As Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, put it, 'He's chief executive of the Fortune One. Something has consequences because of who does it, and this is Tim Cook and Apple. This will resonate powerfully.'"[NYT]

NIKE'S LATEST LEBRON, CLEVELAND AD Might be the best sports ad of all time. [YouTube]

LAST-MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUME IDEAS Because no one is ever THAT on top of things. [HuffPost]

NO UNDERWEAR YOGA PANTS "Lingerie company Dear Kate's new no-underwear yoga pants make a lot of promises: No panty lines. No bunching. No riding up. No camel toe. No stressing about comfort. And they'll make your butt look great. If they can deliver all that, the new pants, which have a thick, absorbent lining around the crotch, may be able to shove their way into the busy market for yoga gear." [HuffPost]

WILL BABY 13 BE A GIRL? Couple who has 12 sons is expecting. [HuffPost]

HUNGER GAMES ON TRACK FOR $130 MILLION DOLLAR OPENING Girl on fire, indeed. [Variety]

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT SEASON FOUR TO BE RE-RELEASED IN ORDER Just remember there's always money in the banana stand. [Vanity Fair]

FIRST LIVE PETER PAN PROMO Three word summary: Allison Williams flying. [Vulture]

ON THE BLOG

HOW TO EAT HALLOWEEN CANDY 'MINDFULLY' "You often are thinking about the next piece of candy before finishing the one you have. To slow down and enjoy each piece of candy as you are eating it, eat with your non-dominate hand." [HuffPost]

BEFORE YOU GO

~ Starbucks could deliver?!?

~ Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old who captivated the country with her decision to end her life on Nov. 1, has decided to postpone.

~ Jessica Biel pregnancy rumors are growing...

~ The origin of the word "ping."

~ Here's what candidates are REALLY thinking during the midterm debates.

~ Seth Rogen is upping his dramatic credentials.

~ Taylor Swift is worth a lot of moolah.

~ Hodor in a Christmas sweater.

~ Did you know meat has seasons?

~ Barack Obama does not make Michael Jordan's dream golf team.

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By Lauren Weber

Thursday October 30th, 2014

TOP STORIES

RUSSIA EXECUTES EUROPEAN AERIAL MANEUVERS "Russian military aircraft conducted aerial maneuvers around Europe this week on a scale seldom seen since the end of the Cold War, prompting NATO jets to scramble in another sign of how raw East-West relations have grown. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said that more than two dozen Russian aircraft in four groups were intercepted and tracked on Tuesday and Wednesday, an unusually high level of activity that the alliance said could have endangered passing civilian flights." Ukraine and Russia will resume talks today. [WSJ]

IRAQI KURDS PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED SUPPORT TO KOBANI FIGHT The small group of "elite fighters" will finally reach the embattled city to help fend off ISIS. [WaPo]

TURKEY - U.S. FRIENDSHIP TESTED "The increasingly hostile divergence of views between Turkey and the United States over Syria is testing the durability of their 60-year alliance, to the point where some are starting to question whether the two countries still can be considered allies at all. Turkey's refusal to allow the United States to use its bases to launch attacks against the Islamic State, quarrels over how to manage the battle raging in the Syrian border town of Kobane and the harsh tone of the anti-American rhetoric used by top Turkish officials to denounce U.S. policy have served to illuminate the vast gulf that divides the two nations as they scramble to address the menace posed by the extremists." [WaPo]

WHO: EBOLA CASES IN LIBERIA DECLINING "The number of new cases in [Libera] appears to be declining, with fewer burials, plateauing lab confirmations and less-cramped hospitals, the World Health Organization said." Experts warn that the virus strikes in waves, and this could just be a lull. [CNN]

U.S. DISASTER PREPAREDNESS POLICY 'A MESS' "Two years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated the northeastern United States, killing more than 70 people, causing $60 billion in damage and exposing major gaps in federal disaster preparedness and response. But there has been little movement in Congress to change policies to prepare the country for future disasters." [HuffPost]

GIANTS WIN WORLD SERIES "It's not "even year magic." It's Madison Bumgarner. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in the decisive clash of the of the 2014 World Series for their third championship in five years. The dramatic Game 7 triumph included a scoreless relief appearance from Bumgarner, the team's ace starting pitcher who had already recorded wins in Game 1 and Game 5." The celebrations were marred by violence in San Francisco, where two were shot and one stabbed celebrating in the city's Mission District. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

$99 FLIGHTS TO EUROPE But watch out for the fees. [WaPo]

200 CALORIES OF HALLOWEEN CANDY IS DEPRESSING You were warned. [HuffPost]

THE SUPERFOOD YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF Start buying Kefir, (which is pronounced kuh-feer for all of you who still think quinoa is pronounced qui-nooo-a). [HuffPost]

HOLLYWOOD'S TOP STAR What you need to become Jennifer Lawrence. [Vulture]

NAMING BANK ROBBERS "There is a challenge in giving the bandit an appealing enough name to garner widespread public recognition. Like all other branding, a good name is essential. When the photos from the crime are lousy, the description of the bandit is vague, and the given name may be off the mark." [Vanity Fair]

NETFLIX HAS ITS OWN 'GAME OF THRONES' And it follows Marco Polo. [HuffPost]

T-PAIN WITHOUT AUTOTUNE It'll blow your mind. [NPR]

THE HEAD OF PHILADELPHIA'S TAXI ORGANIZATION COMPARED UBER TO ISIS Because that's ALWAYS a good idea. [HuffPost]

ON THE BLOG

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: GIVE TOP STUDENTS A CHANCE "I was no different than many of today's high school seniors who, though not valedictorians, have the grades to get into competitive colleges. Yet tens of thousands of them are not applying. Like me, most of these students come from families of modest means. Today, 70 percent of students at the country's most competitive colleges -- which graduate students at the highest rates -- come from families with incomes in the top 25 percent. Only 6 percent of students who grow up poor attend a leading school. Those are damning statistics for a country that prides itself on being a meritocracy, where young people with drive and ability can rise to the top, regardless of their family's income." [HuffPost]

BEFORE YOU GO

~ Katie Holmes is over Tom Cruise.

~ Here's "Gone Girl" with cats.

~ Meet the pepperoni pizza quesadilla.

~ This is why it's called candy CORN.

~ Business memo: don't run a factory in the West Bank.

~ If Disney princesses had "realistic waistlines."

~ Shrimp fraud is a thing.

~ You, too, can click your heels three times to get out of awkward situations.

~ Forget about pumpkin spice for a minute -- have you had the Franken frappuccino?

~ Could the Amelia Earhart mystery be solved?

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