You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Eric Migicovsky recently told us that Pebble would be shifting much of its focus from hardware to software. Today, we're seeing the first hint at that in the form of an iOS 7 app and developer's kit. Read on for more about Pebble's ecosystem enhancements, including upcoming apps from brand new partners.
Fitbit's latest fitness gadget brings an OLED screen, making it look like more of a smartwatch than a fitness tracker. While it doesn't otherwise add many new cutting-edge features, what it does, it does well. So does this nearly indestructible fitness tracker amount to anything more than a glorified pedometer? Check out our review to see how it stacks up against the competition.
In an attempt to simplify its design, Facebook is pulling the iconic thumbs up symbol from its "Like" buttons. Apparently, the social giant has already seen an increase in likes and shares across the board, which it's attributing to the new design. Click through for more details about the upgrade's potential influence on web content.
Scanning in at $800, the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite is essentially a watered-down version of the flagship ATIV Book 9 Plus. But with a less-premium design and weaker internals, is the Book 9 Lite still worth consideration? Follow the link for our review and find out.
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit's mayor-elect said Wednesday that far too much had been made of his skin color during a successful campaign that will make him the predominantly black city's first white mayor in four decades.
Appearing at his first news conference as mayor-elect, Mike Duggan said he would meet over the next two days with Michigan's governor and Detroit's current leaders, including the state-appointed emergency manager who currently controls the cash-strapped city's checkbook.
With Detroit grappling with $18 billion in debt and awaiting a judge's ruling on whether it can move forward with a bankruptcy filing, Duggan said the race of the mayor is not a factor.
"I resent it. I've resented it from the beginning," Duggan said. "People in this city got past it almost a year ago, as people got to know me and we started to relate as individuals."
Unofficial general election results Tuesday night showed Duggan, a former Detroit Medical Center chief executive, defeating Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon 55 percent to 45 percent. Napoleon is black.
Race, more specifically black and white, has defined Detroit for generations.
More than 80 percent of the 700,000 people living in Detroit are black. The last time it had a white mayor, only about 44 percent of Detroit's 1.5 million residents were black and the city was only a few years removed from a race riot that left 43 people dead and dozens of buildings burned.
"Detroit became 'black Detroit' and the suburbs became the 'white suburbs, and people picked sides," then-mayor and now convicted felon Kwame Kilpatrick told The Associated Press for a story in 2007.
Of the 10 cities of at least 100,000 people with the largest percentage of black residents, only New Orleans and Montgomery, Ala., have white mayors. The others have black mayors.
Duggan's election could help blur the color lines, but when he takes office in January Detroit officially could be bankrupt. He will be expected to have solutions for lowering one of the highest violent crime rates in the country — in a city that struggles to respond to 911 calls — and fixing Detroit's many crumbling neighborhoods. Public transportation is in shambles, as are other city services.
Those are things Paulette Warren wants corrected, and she said she couldn't care less about the race of the city's mayor.
"When you call 911 you want to know an ambulance is coming," said Warren, who is black and voted Tuesday for Duggan. "It's all about who can do the job. It's not about color."
Race is as much a part of Detroit, its politics, citizenry and relationship with suburban neighbors as assembly lines and the cars that rolled across them.
In the 1950s, about 1.8 million people lived in Detroit, but the lure of new homes in fresh suburbs started an exodus from the urban core. The 1967 riot hastened white flight. And when a brash, black labor leader named Coleman A. Young was elected mayor in 1973, Detroit's growing black populace began to flex its political muscle.
Young issued a warning to the city's crime element to leave Detroit at its Eight Mile Road city limits. Many whites in communities north of that demarcation were appalled and angered. The rift between them and black Detroiters widened.
But soon, the same suburbs that earlier welcomed white families became too attractive for the city's black middle class to ignore. Thousands of blacks also left Detroit for safer neighborhoods and better schools, leaving parts of the city virtually empty. They also took their money and much of the city's tax base.
Orr, appointed by Snyder to help turn the city around, has stopped making millions of dollars in bond debt payments and is trying to work out deals with some creditors while awaiting a federal judge's ruling on whether the city will be the largest in the country to be declared bankrupt.
"It's not black or white. It's green. It's who can bring money to Detroit to improve our city services," said black first-term Councilman Andre Spivey, who won his re-election bid in Detroit's fourth district. "A lot of people who are probably 45, 50 and older remember well when we had the last Caucasian mayor. For most folks, it's not an issue."
Duggan will succeed Mayor Dave Bing, who decided not to seek re-election. He is Detroit's first white mayor since Roman Gribbs, who decided not to seek re-election for a term that ended in 1973.
Duggan moved to Detroit last year from Livonia, a predominantly white suburb just west of the city, to run for the job, but a residency issue forced him off the August primary ballot.
He campaigned heavily on his past work at the medical center and said that when he took over in 2004, the system was facing hospital closures. It later was sold for about $365 million.
"The majority of the people voted for Mike, not so much Mike the white guy," Bing told the AP Wednesday. "They voted for Mike the person that they thought was the most qualified."
Duggan said Wednesday that he received a call from Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was elected as a white mayor of Baltimore in 1999, then was re-elected four years later in a landslide. In 2000, that city's population was 60 percent black.
But Detroit Councilwoman Brenda Jones, who won her third consecutive term Tuesday, has an issue with Duggan not because he's white, but because he moved into Detroit to run for mayor.
Black Detroiters have voted to put whites in public office in the past, said Jones, pointing to Maryann Mahaffey who spent 31 years on the council beginning in the early 1970s.
"Maryann Mahaffey was a true Detroiter," said Jones, who is black. "So, is it about Detroit being ready for a white mayor or about Detroit being ready for a Detroiter? Duggan has not lived in Detroit. How can I see him as a real Detroiter?"
Bellator 106 featured three title fights on Saturday night, with all three going the distance but still providing drama and a fast pace. In the main event, Eddie Alvarez was awarded a controversial split decision win over the man who took the Bellator lightweight title from him two years ago, Michael Chandler.
Evidently, a last-round submission surge from Alvarez was enough to convince the judges that he deserved the win. Over four rounds, Chandler looked to have gotten the better of Alvarez in a competitive war through excellent head movement and sharp striking on the feet combined with take downs, slams and positional advantages on the ground.
The 4th round was the most dominant for Chandler as he grounded Alvarez and pounded him with punches and elbows. Alvarez came back strong in the 5th, however, and nearly finished Chandler twice with a rear naked choke before the final horn sounded.
Scores were 48-47, all around, with two judges giving it to Alvarez.
"It takes two people to put a fight on like that...another fight of the year," Alvarez said in his post fight interview.
A clearly surprised and frustrated Chandler downplayed his disappointment saying that the loss was, "just another fight. I've got to get back to the drawing board and see what happens next.
Newton beats Lawal again
Emanuel Newton proved that his first win over Muhammed Lawal last Feb. was no fluke as he won a clear-cut unanimous decision over "King Mo" to claim the interim 205 pound Bellator title Saturday night. Scores from all three judges were 49-46 for Newton as the fighter out of Long Beach used excellent take down defense and unorthodox striking to win.
Despite their earlier war of words, "The Hardcore Kid" was eager to heap some self-serving praise on Lawal.
"Mo put up a good fight. I'm not going to face another wrestler like that in MMA and that makes me very excited," Newton said.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced that Newton would face full light heavyweight champion Atitila Vegh next in a title unification bout. Newton seemed to believe that he'd already beaten his toughest challenge in the division in Lawal.
"After fighting Mo, Attila Vegh ain't got nothin' for me," he said.
Straus wins featherweight belt
Daniel Straus withstood a low blow and a knee to the head while he was grounded from Pat Curran to win a dominating decision and the Bellator featherweight title Saturday night. Straus came out and won the first round on the strength of a good 1-2 combination and a take down but Curran came back in the second round and used effective stand up striking to even the score.
In the third round, Straus tossed Curran on his back, Curran got back to his feet immediately and threw a knee to the head of Straus that connected. The only problem was that Straus was still on a knee and the knee was illegal.
A point was deducted from Curran but Straus continued the fight after being checked out by the ringside doctor and immediately took Curran down and passed his guard. That pattern would continue throughout the fight as Straus clinched, grinded out and rode Curran to his unanimous decision win.
"It's a good feeling. I worked really hard with my team at ATT…Pat Curran is a tough dude. I will see him again," Straus said.
Jorge Masvidal aims for his third straight UFC win at Fight for the Troops 3. - Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
This is the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 live blog for Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov, a lightweight bout at Wednesday's UFC event at Fort Campbell.
Masvidal, who is 2-0 in his UFC career, will face Khabilov, who is also 2-0 in his UFC career, on the main card.
Check out the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 live blog below.
Round 1: The referee for this one is Big John McCarthy. Huge overhand right straight off the bat from Khabilov. Wow. Landed flush, and caught Masvidal off guard, but he shook it off. Once again he lands the right as Masvidal missed. Khabilov throwing bombs out there. Trying to size one up. Masvidal trying to establish the jab, and is staying active. Another big right from Khabilov over the top lands. Masvidal isn't picking that up, but nor is he getting hurt by it. Masvidal keeps the center of the cage. Khabilov coils back and throws another big right, once again landing. Masvidal, by comparison, is nickel and diming. Now Masvidal moves in, and Khabilov goes for a single-leg takedown. Masvidal spins out of that, and we're back to center. Masvidal lands a nice body kick, then comes in with big flying knee, which lands but he is taken down immediately right after by the grappler Khabilov. It doesn't stay there; Masvidal right back up Yet another flying knee by Masvidal, who is opening up the arsenal here, not fearing the takedown as much as he was earlier. Khabilov grabs a leg and drives Masvidal into the fence, and they stay tied up there as the rounds ends. MMA Fighting scores R1 for Khabilov, 10-9.
Round 2: Felt like Masvidal was turning the tide in the latter parts of the round. They meet at center, and Khabilov changes levels. Masvidal starting to whip out that jab he has, and he comes in with a leg kick. And another. Khabilov once again goes high-low, but doesn't land anything. Masvidal very steadily stalking Khabilov down. He's landing better as the fight goes on, isolated shots and combos. Seems to have Khabilov guessing a little bit. Good left by Masival lands flush, and then Khabilov comes over top with a right. As Khabilov ties up Masvidal, the Miami native turns him and steers the fight to the fence. Then the break. And now it's Masvidal with the takedown. Wow. He's trying to get off some elbows from the top. Khabilov able to get back up, and we got back to the center momentarily. Now Khabilov shoots and bangs Masvidal into the chain links, and grabs his back. He dumps Masvidal for a moment, but Masvidal bounces right back up. Khabilov toils for another takedown, but can't get it. They go back to center and circle as the roudn ends. MMA Fighting scores R2 10-9 for Masvidal (19-19 overall).
Round 3: Khabilov comes in with a high kick, which catches the whiskers of Masvidal's chin. Masvidal strafing with the right jab. Khabilov is bouncing, still moving well. Wow! Spinning wheel kick from Khabilov lands flush to Masvidal's chin, and he drops. Khabilov pounces and trying to grab his neck. Masvidal able to squirm free and stand up. Wow. somehow Masvidal survived that vicious kick. They are at center now, trading shots. Now Masvidal tosses Khabilov to the canvas while on the fence, and Khabilov gets right back up. Both guys laboring out there now, breathing heavily. Khabilov now grabs Masvidal's back, but with both guys slippery with sweat can't get any traction. They go back to the fence, this time with Masvidal ushering the action. Masvidal grabs a leg, but Khabilov sprawls and lands a series of shots in close to Masvidal's rib cage. Crazy little back and forth fight. Each man had his moment, but none was bigger than the wheel kick that Khabilov planted on Masvidal early in the third. MMA Fighting scores R3 for Khabilov, 10-9 (29-28 for Khabilov overall).
UFC Fight for the Troops 3 results: Rustam Khabilov def. Jorse Masvidal via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011, AT 3:07 PM Obama Gets Firsthand Look at a Tornado Damage
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.
Yancy Medeiros' UFC ended abruptly due to injury. His follow-up fight at UFC Fight for the Troops 3 on Wednesday night also ended early, but this time it was Medeiros doing the winning as he stopped Yves Edwards in the first round.
The two started off trading bombs and it was the UFC veteran in Edwards who was getting the better of the exchanges. Edwards was both able to counter with overhand rights as well as mix in body kicks and other key combinations. So often was Edwards landing that Medeiros waved in Edwards a number of times after being hit very hard.
In this sport, however, one shot changes everything.
As the two exchanged at close range, Medeiros fired a right hand that missed, but snuck in a devastating uppercut that buckled Edwards and immediately sent him crashing backwards to the mat.
Medeiros followed up on the hurt opponent and drove three more shots to Edwards' face, forcing referee 'Big' John McCarthy to halt the bout. The end came at 2:47 of the very first round.
Medeiros climbs to 10-1 in MMA while Edwards drops to 42-21-1. The loss is also Edwards' third in a row.
In nature, the combination of water droplets and light create the floating color phantasms we know as rainbows. In the hands of artist Robert Seidel, the two elements form advection, a morphing kaleidoscopic video installation that's dripping with abstract digital beauty.
FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2013 file photo, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. walks on Capitol Hill …
Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is facing a double-barreled challenge from Democrats and tea-party backed Republicans as he seeks re-election in 2014. And while the outcome of that race could be a referendum on his performance as the Senate's top Republican, this showdown may not actually be so Washington-centric.
Back home in Kentucky, tobacco growers are facing a possible threat from a new European Union rule that could cost the local industry millions within the next decade. McConnell is busy working behind the scenes to protect the state’s cash crop — and reminding growers what he can do for them if he remains in Senate leadership.
Kentucky tobacco farmers are reeling after the EU voted in October to phase in a ban on flavored tobacco products. Burley, one form of tobacco grown mostly in Kentucky, requires added ingredients during the manufacturing process, and as a result could be included in the ban. Kentucky farmers produce 148 million pounds of burley tobacco on average every year, and almost half of that — 43 percent — is exported to Europe. Eight states grow burley, but 70 percent of the crop is produced in Kentucky. Tennessee and North Carolina rank second and third, respectively.
At about $2 per pound, the loss of nearly half the market could deal a devastating blow to growers in Kentucky who produce burley.
As the Senate's top Republican, the sheer muscle of McConnell’s position could be his best argument to convince this bloc of Kentucky voters and donors to keep him in office. The new tobacco rules come amid ongoing negotiations over a major free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union. McConnell is in a strong position — if he chooses — to ensure that the final deal protects Kentucky growers.
“His staff is very much aware of all of these things,“ said Roger Quarles, a former president of Kentucky's Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association and the International Tobacco Growers' Association. “They’re very concerned about it.” The EU is still finalizing how it will enforce and define the new rules — a source with knowledge of the talks in the EU told Yahoo News that the burley issue could be raised as early as Thursday — but the threat has Kentucky tobacco growers looking to McConnell to help save their livelihood.
During his time in public office, McConnell has cultivated a cozy relationship with tobacco growers and the tobacco industry, which has filled his campaign coffers for years.
McConnell leads other senators in donations from the tobacco industry, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by the Center for Competitive Politics. During McConnell’s re-election campaign in 2008, he received $130,400 from tobacco interests, more money than any other lawmaker received from the industry. Since 1990, McConnell has reaped more than $475,000 from the industry, FEC records show.
“Sen. McConnell is well loved in the tobacco industry,” Quarles told Yahoo News. “McConnell has always been an adamant and ardent supporter of our tobacco growers in Kentucky. There’s none better. He’s never wavered in his support here. As far as someone else coming in and having things less favorable for us or more favorable, I can’t imagine they would do anything more than his support has been so far.”
Workers put recently cut burley tobacco into a barn on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, on a farm near Finchville, Ky. For …
With McConnell’s election only a year away, the potential crisis for a local industry provides an opportunity to remind the growers what a high-ranking, seasoned lawmaker can do for his constituents.
McConnell is in for a tough campaign in 2014. He currently faces a primary challenge from Republican Matt Bevin, a Kentucky businessman who has backing from some tea party groups. Should McConnell defeat Bevin in the primary next spring, he will likely face Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, the secretary of state of Kentucky and a well-regarded campaigner expected to receive considerable help from the national party.
The reality is that if McConnell loses to either Bevin or Grimes, his successor would be a junior senator with little influence in the nation’s access-obsessed capital city. As McConnell tells burley growers — and other industry groups in Kentucky who could benefit from his Washington influence — any newcomer to the Senate won’t arrive in Washington with his kind of clout. In May, McConnell co-signed a letter with three other senators in tobacco-growing states to EU Ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida, urging the body to reconsider moving forward with the ban.
“[W]e have serious concerns about the [Tobacco Products Directive] and its impact on transatlantic trade relations,” McConnell wrote, along with fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, and Republican Sen. Richard Burr and Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina. “[A]s the Senate considers the potential U.S.-E.U. free trade agreement, the TPD calls into question the EU’s ability to deliver on regulatory commitments to the United States that it will have to make under a comprehensive U.S.-EU trade agreement.”
The message of the letter was clear: A European ban on burley could threaten the trade agreement process. Since the Senate will have to approve the agreement, McConnell is in a position to make those negotiations difficult.
But in order to play, McConnell needs to be in the game after 2014. And his campaign is not shy about telling tobacco growers what he can do for them as the trade talks progress, multiple growers in the state told Yahoo News.
“They remind everybody that whatever influence that is in the leader’s office is carried by Sen. McConnell at the moment,” Quarles said. “Obviously if someone else comes in there, they’re not going to be in the leader’s office. It takes years and years to reach that level of leadership. If it changes, it will be years again for that to come about.”
Indeed, since the four lawmakers sent the letter, McConnell has been working to blunt the impact on growers in his home state, a McConnell spokesman told Yahoo News.
“Sen. McConnell is in regular contact directly with the U.S. Trade Representative, both proactively (such as on the EU issue), and when that office regularly solicits his opinion as the Republican Leader,” McConnell spokesman Don Stewart told Yahoo News in an email.
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2013 file photo, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, a candidate for U.S. …
In a statement to Yahoo News, a spokeswoman for Grimes said the Democratic candidate would seek export opportunities for Kentucky-based businesses and criticized McConnell for voting against a farm bill when it came up for a vote in the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this year.
"Alison Lundergan Grimes is committed to preserving our rich agricultural tradition and will ensure that Kentucky's farmers have the support, stability and certainty they deserve," Grimes spokeswoman Charly Norton told Yahoo News. "It starts with expanding Kentucky's export opportunities to help our farmers sell American farm products to the world."
A spokeswoman from Bevin's campaign declined to comment.
McConnell's leadership role, however, is a mixed bag for his re-election effort. On one hand, it comes with a big stick in Washington for the people of Kentucky. But as a lead Republican negotiator for must-pass legislation, such as the one passed last month that re-opened the government and raised the federal debt limit, it also forces him into positions where he can't always hold a pure line in the name of conservative purity.
“You would almost have to be someone that is completely detracting to think that [McConnell's] influence does not mean something on a national level,” said Kentucky State Rep. Jonathan Shell, a conservative Republican who supports McConnell but who is sympathetic to tea party views. “Regardless of whether or not we agreed or disagreed with the outcome of the government shutdown and his negotiations, I think that we all should understand and know that Sen. McConnell was the one in that conversation, and you do not get in that conversation without having that clout that is necessary to have the impact we’re going to need to move farmers forward.”
Democrats with ties to the Kentucky tobacco-farming industry concede that McConnell’s years in the Senate strengthen his hand in 2014.
“Even though we’re in different parties, I think that Sen. McConnell has always been a strong advocate for the Kentucky farmer in general and certainly for the tobacco farmer,” said Kentucky State Rep. Wilson Stone, a co-chair of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee. “Leadership is always connected to influence whether it’s in the Kentucky General Assembly or in Washington or the Chamber of Commerce here at home. So the higher the leadership position, the more influence you can have on behalf of your constituency.
“Buts there’s going to be a lot of issues in this upcoming race,” he added. “The ag issues might not be [Grimes’] best issues, but certainly she’s a Kentuckian through and through and certainly has an appreciation for rural Kentucky and for agriculture.”
Burley farmers, however, are hopeful that the final language and enforcement of the EU ban won’t be as rigid as first thought. It’s possible that the final ruling could exclude burley, especially if moving forward with the strict ban means not spoiling a pending trade deal with the United States
The tobacco crop, of course, won’t be the only issue driving the election for the Kentucky Senate seat. But with money and jobs possibly at stake in McConnell’s back yard — and his capacity to keep the growers’ export protected — it may be impossible to ignore.
Workers hang burley tobacco in a barn for curing on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, on a farm near Finchville, Ky. For …
Aniston, 44, stepped out on Monday, Nov. 4 while running errands in Los Angeles when she debuted her new chic look. The We're the Millers star kept a low profile as she quietly showed off her new 'do while dressed in tight-fitted jeans, a black t-shirt and a blazer.
"Chris McMillan actually chopped all my hair off!" the Horrible Bosses actress told Vogue.com shortly before the photos surfaced. "I actually don't have any red carpets coming up. This is truly just for me!" (McMillan is the hairstylist who created Aniston's now-iconic "Rachel" cut in the '90s for Friends.)
As for Lawrence, the Catching Fire beauty looked nothing short of excited to reveal her new look Wednesday. On her personal Facebook page, the 23-year-old revealed her pixie cut (and lighter locks!) while en route to meet up with costars Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson to chat with Hunger Games fans via Google+, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
"It's short and drastic," a source tells Us of the new look. Drastic and already a few weeks old! The source -- based in Atlanta where the Hunger Games films are shot -- tells Us that Lawrence took the plunge with West Hollywood stylist Riawana Capri a few weeks ago.
Tell Us: Which Jennifer haircut do you prefer more? Take the poll!
When Eve Torres bid farewell to the WWE Universe in January, some people might have thought the three-time Divas Champion and WWE’s 2007 Diva Search winner would be taking things easy, reflecting on her many accomplishments and kicking back at her Los Angeles home.
As it turns out, those people don’t know Eve Torres.
WWE.com recently caught up with the indomitable beauty, who filled us in on her inspirational new mission, dished about “Total Divas” and offered some crucial advice for WWE’s current (and future) crop of female competitors.
WWE.COM: What have you been up to since we last saw you on WWE television?
EVE TORRES: Well, aside from building a house and planning a wedding and all of that real-life stuff that I’ve finally gotten around to, I’ve been teaching a lot of women’s self-defense classes at the Gracie Academy. Since January, I’ve pretty much been teaching Gracie Women Empowered self-defense full-time, working with women from all walks of life. We’ve got grandmas in there, we’ve got mothers with their daughters, and we’ve had several contracts with the U.S. Air Force.
Also, this summer I actually filmed my first movie. I did a really fun fight scene in [“Scorpion King: The Lost Throne”], which will be coming out next year. I was so excited to be a part of it. Ellen Hollman is the actress I worked with, and she is just incredible. We got to incorporate some wrestling stuff, too. I pulled out some of my old tricks in there. It was a lot of fun to shoot.
WWE.COM: What sparked your passion for women’s self-defense?
EVE: When I first started traveling with WWE [in 2007], I had just won the Diva Search and I didn’t really have any riding partners yet. So, I was making one of the loops by myself. I was somewhere in the Northeast and, just like we always do, I had to stop at a gas station to get some water and snacks, and fill up on gas. I walked in, and there were three guys in there that immediately started heckling me, harassing me and telling me to go with them. They were just kind of trying to poke fun or whatever. I ignored them, and they just progressively got angrier and angrier. It got to the point where they were yelling obscenities at me and calling me all kinds of names. They were threatening me.
WWE.COM: Was there anyone else around seeing this happen?
EVE: I looked at the guy at the checkout desk, and he didn’t know what to do. I didn’t buy my stuff. I threw it down on the counter and I got out of there. They followed me out, still yelling at me.
I think they felt that I was really terrified, and I think they fed off that. I got into my car, locked the door and I took off. I pulled over, I was shaking. I couldn’t believe that had just happened. It’s one of the first times I realized that even though I’m a woman who’s in shape, who has an education and a good job, any man that wants to end that for me or hurt me in some way can do that. Unfortunately, men are just stronger than women.
WWE.COM: That night led you to learn about self-defense?
EVE: I told a girlfriend about it, and she suggested that I start training at the Gracie Academy. Interestingly enough, my brother trained in jiu-jitsu in high school, so I knew a little bit about it. I never really thought it applied to me that much. I had done other forms of martial arts, but it was more for fun. I really didn’t think about the self-defense aspects of it. So I started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and my mind was completely blown away by what I thought was possible for women. All of a sudden, I realized that there was a way for women to level the playing field. I felt like I needed to share this with others.
All women can do this, which I think is important for women to know: You don’t have to be a WWE Diva or an MMA fighter to be able to defend yourself.
The dramatic overhaul of Google Maps on the desktop saw the world lose a good friend. That friend: Pegman. The tiny yellow avatar that you could drop almost anywhere to get instant access to Street View disappeared. Instead, the ground level perspective was accessed by first clicking on a point on ...
A member of the security detail keeps watch on the tarmac while awaiting the arrival of President Barack Obama at Love Field Airport, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A member of the security detail keeps watch on the tarmac while awaiting the arrival of President Barack Obama at Love Field Airport, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
President Barack Obama walks from the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, to the Oval Office after a trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to visit with wounded troops. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
DALLAS (AP) — Beset by hard-to-keep promises and a massive website failure, President Barack Obama traveled to the heart of the "Obamacare" opposition Wednesday, declaring that ideological rigidity was denying health insurance to millions of Americans.
Ad-libbing at a synagogue in Dallas, Obama said he was the first to admit he was unhappy with the rocky first month since new insurance exchanges went live. He implored volunteers and guides who are working to help consumers to stick with it, casting it as an effort that would, eventually, be well worth the trouble.
"As challenging as this may seem sometimes, as frustrating as healthcare.gov may be sometimes, we are going to get his done," Obama said.
The visit also cast a bright light on staunch opposition to the law in Republican-leaning Texas, which has the highest rate of uninsured Americans — more than 23 percent. GOP Gov. Rick Perry has refused to take advantage of a provision in the law to expand Medicaid to cover more of the working poor.
Obama said Texas' neighbors had looked at the Medicaid expansion, which is fully funded by the federal government for the first few years, as a no-brainer.
"''Why wouldn't the state of Texas want to do the same thing?" he asked later at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee." Well, it's because ideology has taken precedence over common sense and helping people."
The trip to Texas — initially scheduled only as a fundraising visit — comes as his administration seeks to mitigate the damage from the website glitches and from a public outcry over a promise he repeatedly made — if you like your insurance, you can keep it — that turned out to be incorrect for millions of Americans.
Before leaving Washington on Wednesday, Obama tried to soothe the concerns of 16 Senate Democrats facing re-election next year during a two-hour White House meeting. Many of those lawmakers are worried that the problem-plagued rollout could negatively affect their races.
Later, at one of two fundraisers, he said: "It is fair to say that right now I'm not happy with some IT people in Washington."
Highlighting the law's benefits at Dallas Temple Emanu-El, Obama encouraged participation in the marketplaces set up by the law. He said nothing drives him crazier than knowing there's good insurance available - if only the website would work properly.
"This is like having a really good product in a store, and the cash registers don't work, and there aren't enough parking spots," Obama said.
"I know that sometimes this task is especially challenging here in the great Lone Star State," Obama said to laughter. "But I think all of you understand that there's no state that actually needs this more than Texas."
Perry shot back, accusing Obama in a statement of trying to "salvage his ill-conceived and unpopular program from a Titanic fate."
"Texans aren't the reason Obamacare is crumbling," Perry said. "Obamacare is the reason Obamacare is crumbling."
Texas also is among the 36 states not providing their own insurance marketplaces, which means residents there must sign up through the federal website that stumbled badly upon its launch Oct. 1.
Back in Washington, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius faced heated questioning from senators, some of whom challenged her honesty and demanded she resign. Focusing on progress made, Sebelius said the web portal now is handling large volumes of material with fewer errors even as she acknowledged "we're not where we need to be."
Obama has been aggressively promoting the law in the face of numerous setbacks. In addition to the problem-plagued enrollment launch, insurers have been sending some of their customers termination notices because their policies don't meet federal requirements.
The notices have put Obama and White House officials on the defensive as they attempt to explain Obama's early vow that under the new law, people who like their existing coverage would be allowed to keep it.
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Follow Jim Kuhnhenn at http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn
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