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Tara Reid’s thin frame shocks again

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 31 Maret 2015 | 20.49

Tara Reid's body continues to make headlines.

The frail "Sharknado" actress hit the pool in Miami Beach on Monday wearing a paisley-print bikini.

Reid, 39, sported pink lipstick and wore her hair straight for her day in the sun with friends, which also included beverages and cigarettes.

It's not the first time Reid's thin frame turned heads.

At Thanksgiving, Reid posed in a skimpy bikini which revealed her extra-slim body.

Then shortly Christmas, she appeared much healthier in a separate set of beach snapshots.

No matter the public opinion on her body, Reid finds herself fending off critics and naysayers.

"I'm just a small-boned girl," she told TMZ back in December. "I eat, I eat, I eat. Some people that eat too much, you yell at them that they're fat. You want to get made at me because I'm skinny? Great, get mad at me. I am what I am."


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Husband watches wife burn alive after GPS leads SUV off bridge

A driver was forced to watch his wife being burned alive Saturday inside their wrecked SUV after he drove off the ramp to a demolished bridge by apparently following GPS navigation, authorities say.

The Times of Northwest Indiana reports 51-year-old Zohra Hussain of Chicago died of burns after the car caught fire following the 37-foot plunge Saturday morning onto property owned by BP in East Chicago, Ind. Her 64-year-old husband, Iftikhar Hussain, survived.

Lake County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Patricia Van Til said the road is marked with numerous barricades, including orange barrels and cones, large wood signs stating ROAD CLOSED with orange striped markings and concrete barricades across the road. The bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal has been closed since 2009.

A police investigator told the Times of Northwest Indiana that the couple appeared to be on their way to visit family, since they had food in the vehicle.

After the crash, Iftikhar Hussain was able to escape the car, but it burst into flames with his wife still inside.

Zohra Hussain later died of burn injuries, according to the Lake County coroner's office.

The tragedy is not the first at the bridge. In 1982, the bridge collapsed during construction, killing 14 construction workers, the Times of Northwest Indiana reports.

In 2009, the bridge was closed after decades of use from heavy semi-trucks caused it to deteriorate. Then-Gov. Mitch Daniels proposed to rebuild the bridge, but Indiana backed off on their plans after deciding that a replacement bridge would be too expensive.

Construction of a new bridge is scheduled to begin this spring.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fox News.


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Mafia used capsized cruise ship to ‘smuggle drugs’

Doomed cruise ship Costa Concordia was used by the mafia to smuggle cocaine, police investigators say.

Italy's most feared crime syndicate, the Ndrangheta, hid drugs on board the cruise ship which partially capsized in January 2012, according to The Independent. "The same ship that made us a laughing stock around the world, took the piss out of us too," Ndrangheta boss Michele Rossi was reportedly heard saying to an associate Massimo Tiralongo, according to police.

Phone and tape recordings of the gangsters from Calabria suggest the drugs were on board but authorities have not confirmed drugs have been found on the Concordia. Investigators believe drugs were stowed without the knowledge of senior officers or senior company officials, but probably with the cooperation of one or more crew members.

The cocaine was being smuggled into Europe from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Drugs may also have been placed on ships owned by MSC and Norwegian Cruise Lines, according to a separate report in La Repubblica.

According to The Times, 20 people have been arrested following the revelations.

Drug smuggling on cruise ships has reportedly become big business with some suggesting more than 43kg of cocaine was seized from crew members this year.

This month, five galley staff with Norwegian Cruise Lines were arrested after smuggling 5kg of cocaine in their Lycra underwear. While two Royal Caribbean crew members were arrested in Argentina with more than $1 million taped to their bodies.

British police have warned cruise companies to look out for young people travelling on cruises aimed at pensioners.

The Concordia partially capsized after the captain performed a risky manoeuvre and it crashed into rocks near the Italian island of Giglio. The accident led to the deaths of 32 people and the captain was jailed for 16 years for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before his passengers.

The ship is being broken up for scrap after being towed last year to the port of Genoa.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.


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Mother-in-law’s tombstone falls on man, killing him

A Pennsylvania man was helping decorate his mother-in-law's tombstone on Monday ahead of the Easter holiday when it suddenly toppled over, pinning him underneath and killing him, a cemetery caretaker said.

The 400-pound stone fatally injured Stephen Woytack, 74, of Scranton, said Edward Kubilas, caretaker of St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in the eastern Pennsylvania town of Throop, just outside of Scranton.

On Monday morning, Woytack was kneeling next to the grave marker while his wife tied on a cross on the other side, Kubilas said. The stoner toppled without warning in the soft spring ground.

"His wife came running to get me," Kubilas told Reuters. "By the time I got there, he was not too good. I got half the stone off him. It must have been adrenaline."

A police officer and ambulance arrived almost immediately and helped him wrestle the rest of the 4-foot by 4-foot stone off Woytack, Kubilas said, but it was too late to save him.

"It's a tragic thing," Kubilas said. "There's nothing you could do."

Woytack and his wife visited the cemetery several times each year to decorate the family grave, Kubilas said.


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Woman in office-sex romp leaves New Zealand

The woman filmed having sex with a senior colleague at an insurance firm has flown out of New Zealand to return to her birthplace.

The employees, who left the lights on at the insurance company Marsh in Christchurch, New Zealand, were filmed and photographed having sex by patrons of the Carlton bar and Eatery across the road on January 30.

The 50-year-old senior manager, who is married with two teenage children, and the 26-year-old woman "no longer" work for the insurance company, who launched an internal investigation after the sex act became public.

The woman, who had been previously engaged to a Christchurch man named Josh, "permanently shifted away from New Zealand last Wednesday," The Press reported.

Her Facebook page, which has been reactivated after it was shut down after the sex romp, says she is from Solihull, a town in the West Midlands of England.

"She is a beautiful person but she's been such a silly girl who has made such a silly mistake that has had such massive repercussions for so many people," a source previously said.

The woman's relationship with her fiance was "on a break" at the time of the sex romp in the office.

Josh stayed at her house the night of the office encounter and drove her to her car the next morning. She came home late that night but didn't tell him what had gone on.

"She is not proud at all," a person close to her told The New Zealand Herald. "She wants to just cut all ties with everyone."

Marsh and the man, whose wife only found out about the affair after seeing the images on Facebook, have refused to comment. It is not known if the man is still with his wife and children.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.


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East Village blast victims’ date meets his parents

East Village blast victim Nicholas Figueroa couldn't wait to introduce his new gal pal to his parents, but when they finally did meet Monday, it was to share tears.

He had been on a date with Teresa Galarce, 23, at a sushi restaurant on Second Avenue last week when a gas explosion ripped through the building, killing him and another man.

"Honestly, we were talking about you guys, your family," Garlace told Figueroa's parents, Ana and Nixon, recalling her last moments with their 23-year-old son at the Sushi Park restaurant.

Garlace said Nicholas was excitedly telling her he wanted her to meet them.

"We had just gotten the receipt, and we were talking about what we should tip," Garlace tearfully told the parents at their East Harlem home. "We were laughing, and then I remember a big bang."

She hugged them as Nixon Figueroa said, "Thank God you are alive."

"The reason he went out is because he liked you a lot, and he wanted romance," the dad told her. "He wanted someone to love him and hold him, just like me and his mother do. Unfortunately, it turned out the wrong way."

Ana Figueroa said she met Garlace because "I wanted to know what happened in his last minutes."

"She said she was sitting with my son across the table, and they were talking [about us]," Ana recalled.

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The family said they took comfort that Nicholas' body wasn't mangled in the blast, which is alleged to have been ignited by gas lines illegally hooked up in the building.

At a vigil for Figueroa at Second Avenue and St. Marks Place Monday night, his brother lauded officers who took part in the rescue operation.

"Thank you to everyone here who helped look for my brother," Neal Figueroa said. "Thank you for never giving up on us. Give yourselves all a round of applause for doing everything you could to find my brother."

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office could convene a grand jury within weeks, a law-enforcement source told The Post.

"This is going to be a slow, methodical investigation. We will be talking to everybody — witnesses, the contractor, the plumbers and landlord, gas experts — to see if there was criminal negligence," the source said.

Additional reporting by Jamie Schram


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Boehner visits Jordan in first stop of Mideast tour

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner began a Holy Land victory tour Monday, with plans to meet this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Boehner's trip comes just weeks after Netanyahu scored a surprise electoral victory in Israel's elections — an achievement that came shortly after he attacked the US administration's nuclear negotiations with Iran at a joint session of Congress.

Boehner visited Jordan with eight other Republican House members on the first stop of his tour Monday. He met with King Abdullah for lunch at the Beit al-Urdun Palace, with plans to head to Jerusalem later.

The excursion to Israel comes as Secretary of State John Kerry and other diplomats try to hammer out a nuclear deal with Iran before Tuesday's agreed-upon deadline.

Boehner's office wouldn't reveal specific details about his itinerary, citing security.

Those lawmakers who got to tag along are close to Boehner. Among them are Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.).

Asked about the trip, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf expressed support for the concept of so-called congressional delegations, saying it was "important" for members to get outside of the United States.


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Hammer-wielding attacker whacks man in head

A hammer-wielding sicko attacked a stranger in Brooklyn Heights on Monday afternoon, police said.

The attacker approached his victim at 12:30 p.m. in front of 9 Bond St. and struck him in the head, cops said.

The assailant has been identified as Wayne Matthews, 34.

He was taken into custody shortly after the incident and has been charged with assault and a slew of other crimes.

The 42-year-old victim was taken to an area hospital with lacerations to the head and is currently in stable condition, authorities said.


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‘Gloomy’ outlook as zero-hour approaches nuclear deal

It was crunch time Monday in high-stakes international talks with Iran over its nuclear program, with tense negotiations just hours away from the deadline.

"There still remain some difficult issues," Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the talks were being held.

"We are working very hard to work those through. We are working late into the night and obviously into tomorrow," he added. "Everyone knows the meaning of tomorrow" — meaning the deadline.

His spokeswoman, Marie Harf, put the chances of a deal at 50- 50.

"There's a chance we will get it done," she said.

The Chinese Xinhua news agency quoted a diplomat Monday saying the atmosphere had turned from optimism to "gloom."

Seated around a large rectangular table at a hotel overlooking Lake Geneva were the top diplomats from the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, plus Iran — which maintains its secretive and

expansive nuclear program is peaceful.

In what could be a bad omen, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov left for Moscow after meeting with his counterparts. But officials said he'd return if there was a deal to announce.

There were multiple sticking points on the framework for an agreement meant to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, while gradually lifting sanctions.

One lingering issue: how to handle Iran's store of enriched uranium. Shipping it to Russia for reprocessing into fuel was one possible solution — but the White House on Monday knocked down a report that Iran had suddenly rejected a shipment deal.

"Unfortunately, some of the details in that story were not correct," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters traveling with the president.

"The idea that there had been an agreement that Iran backed away from in the last 24 hours is not true. In terms of what's going to happen with that stockpile, that is something that our negotiators are working through.

"There was never an agreement on this issue yet," Schultz added. "That's still something being worked out."

Either way, Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi said sending the stockpiles overseas was "not on Iran's agenda."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to bash the negotiations Monday.

"The emerging agreement in Lausanne sends a message that there is no price to pay for aggression, and conversely, there is a reward for Iran's aggression," he said.

Diplomats are describing Tuesday as a hard deadline. But that doesn't take an extension off the table completely.

"We will really have to see tactically and strategically what makes the most sense going forward," Harf said.


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4-foot bodybuilder finds love with 6-foot transgender woman

She's 6-foot-3. He's not.

But that hardly bothers Anton Kraft, a pint-sized London bodybuilder who won't date a woman unless she's more than a foot taller than him.

Kraft's latest girlfriend is China Bell, who used to be a man.

What the 4-foot-4 Kraft lacks in size, he makes up in strength, bench-pressing 500 pounds.

"Some people say . . . that I want to do something that I am not built for, to prove something," Kraft, 52, said. "But I believe there's only one winner — second is first loser."

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Anton Kraft and China Bell

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Fordham hires Jeff Neubauer from Eastern Kentucky

Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 Maret 2015 | 20.49

There's a new man in charge of the men's basketball program at Fordham.

Eastern Kentucky coach Jeff Neubauer will be named Fordham's new coach, replacing Tom Pecora.

According to a source, Fordham plans to introduce Neubauer at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at Rose Hill.

In 10 seasons at Eastern Kentucky, the 44-year-old Neubauer posted a 188-134 (.584) record, leading the Colonels to two NCAA Tournaments. This season, Eastern Kentucky was eliminated in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament semifinals.

The news was first reported by CBS Sports. Parker Executive Search, which was retained by Fordham to conduct the coaching search, declined comment.

The decision to hire Neubauer comes after Fordham nearly reached an agreement with Robert Morris coach Andy Toole late last week.

On Friday afternoon, WFUV Sports reported Toole was "nearing a deal" to become the coach, but the deal fell through, and Toole decided to remain at Robert Morris.


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Germanwings kamikaze was treated for suicidal tendencies

MARSEILLE, France — German prosecutors say the co-pilot of the Germanwings passenger plane that crashed in the French Alps had received treatment for suicidal tendencies.

Duesseldorf prosecutors say that Andreas Lubitz received psychotherapy "with a note about suicidal tendencies" for several years before becoming a pilot.

Prosecutors' spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck said Monday that investigators have found no indication of a motive so far as to why Lubitz crashed the plane, nor any sign of a physical illness.

All 150 people on board died in the crash.


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Amanda Knox’s Italian ex-beau: We’re still friends

ROME — Amanda Knox's former Italian boyfriend said Monday he needs to heal wounds inside his heart and soul, now that he and the American have been definitively acquitted of her British roommate's 2007 murder in the Italian town where all three were then students.

Raffaele Sollecito, 31, made his first public comments since the judicial saga ended Friday night when Italy's top criminal court overturned earlier convictions.

`'I feel today like someone who was kidnapped, who after seven years and five months has returned to freedom," Sollecito said, referring the time since Meredith Kercher was found fatally stabbed in her bedroom of the house she shared with Knox and other roommates.

Sollecito and Knox spent four years in jail, including time served after they were convicted early in the case. Later convictions by a Florence appeals court brought sentences of 25 years and 28 1/2 years respectively.

"Everyone was pointing a finger at me, like I was a murderer, without a shred of evidence," he said.

The Florence appeals court that convicted Sollecito and Knox most recently ruled that the pair acted in concert with Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast, who was convicted of Kercher's slaying and sexual assault in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year prison sentence.

Sollecito said he spoke with Knox by phone after they were cleared by the Rome-based court, when they were celebrating with their respective families – his in southeastern Italy and hers in Seattle. Both of them "exchanged many good wishes for a new future," Sollecito said.

When asked, he said he had no immediate plans to see Knox. "Our relationship remains that of friendship," added Sollecito, who now has an Italian girlfriend.

Sollecito's lawyer, Luca Maori, said Guede is the one "who knows exactly what happened" when Kercher was slain and appealed to him to say what he knows.

Kercher's family has expressed disappointment and bewilderment over the acquittals.


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Kylie Jenner, 17, shocks with skimpy bikini pics

Is Kylie Jenner turning into Kim Kardashian?

Wearing a skimpy bikini on Sunday, Jenner turned heads at Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick's mini pool party.

The 17-year-old reality star, who's rumored to be dating rapper Tyga, Instagrammed a few snapshots of her revealing black bikini.

"Pool day @the Disick mansion," she captioned a selfie with 31-year-old Disick, who recently returned home from a short stint in rehab in Costa Rica.

Jenner's follow up 'gram was all about her daring bikini as well as the accessories. "Thanks @goldteethgod for the necklace of my G wagon," she captioned it.

The new home owner wasn't finished with the selfies just yet.

Before signing off, she captioned a full-length shot in the reflection of a glass door. "OK I'm done," she captioned the final shot.

Ok I'm done

A photo posted by Kylizzle (@kyliejenner) on


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US denies drone strike killed Iranian military advisers

BAGHDAD — Iran's Revolutionary Guard says a U.S. drone strike has killed two of its advisers in Iraq, though the U.S. said Monday it has only struck militants in its campaign against the Islamic State group.

The claim came as negotiators on Monday attempted to reach a deal on Iran's contested nuclear program, which hard-liners in the Islamic Republic have opposed as giving away too much to the West.

The Guard said on its sepahnews.ir website the strike happened March 23, just after the U.S.-led coalition began airstrikes to support Iraqi forces trying to retake the Islamic State-held city of Tikrit. It identified the dead as Ali Yazdani and Hadi Jafari, saying they were buried Sunday. It called them advisers, without elaborating on whether Iran contacted Iraqi or U.S. forces after the strike.

Iran occasionally reports on the death of its forces in Iraq and Syria, where it is backing embattled President Bashar Assad, but this is the first time Iran has said it has lost forces in an attack by the U.S. in those campaigns.

The U.S.-led coalition began a campaign around Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, on March 21 in support of large-scale operations to retake it after Iraqi efforts had stalled.

Reached by The Associated Press about the Guard's claim, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said: "The international coalition is aimed at Daesh only," using an alternate Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

"All airstrikes are carried out at the request of the Iraqi government and in full coordination with the (Iraqi) Ministry of Defense," the embassy said, without directly addressing the Iranian claim.

General Ghasem Soleiman is the leader of Iran's Quds Force, which has been on the front line in the fight to retake Tikrit.Photo: EPA

The U.S. Air Forces Central Command also recorded "no strikes by coalition aircraft, manned or unmanned, in the vicinity of Tikrit from 22 to 24 March," spokesman Col. Edward T. Sholtis said in response to a query by the AP.

The Islamic State group now controls a third of both Iraq and neighboring Syria. The U.S. began airstrikes against the group in August, while Iran has offered advisers and other assistance to Iraq to fight the extremists.

On Friday, Iraqi media outlets reported casualties among Iraqi security forces near the University of Tikrit, allegedly from U.S. airstrikes. But the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad denied those claims, saying "no coalition airstrikes took place during the time or in the vicinity of these alleged casualties."

The offensive to retake Tikrit largely has been waged by Iraqi troops and Shiite militias advised by Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Guard's elite Quds Force. Several Shiite militias announced Thursday that they would boycott the Tikrit operations due to U.S. involvement, but Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate hearing Thursday that the U.S. agreed to Iraqi government requests to support the operation on the condition that the militias wouldn't be involved.

The militias have been accused by various human rights groups of committing atrocities against Sunni civilians in areas recaptured from the militant group. On a visit Monday to Baghdad, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern over "summary killings, abductions and destruction of property perpetrated by forces and militias fighting alongside Iraqi armed forces."

Iraqi military commanders said Monday they retook a hospital in southern Tikrit. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists, said the military's three-pronged offensive is progressing toward the center of Tikrit slowly because of booby traps and suicide bomb attacks by the militants.


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How do I deal with incompetent co-workers?

I am being offered a promotion, but it is at a satellite office. I have no problem relocating, but I am concerned about being away from regular interaction with management. Should I be concerned about being "out of sight, out of mind"?

Some managers actually enjoy not being at the "mothership" because they feel they have more autonomy to do their thing, while others crave being at the center of the action. It really depends on the culture of your company. Taking on assignments in different locations is actually a requirement for getting ahead at some employers — and career limiting if you don't move around. For others, it's an opportunity that some may want to take advantage of — but not necessary for career advancement. If you are concerned about being forgotten, you should raise that concern with your boss and discuss ways in which you will be able to stay connected, including visits back to headquarters. You might even be able to negotiate a time frame in which the company will agree to bring you back home.

What do you do if your success in your job is dependent on the cooperation and ability of colleagues from other departments — and they aren't cooperative or very good?

Is this supposed to be a riddle, rhetorical question or what? This describes and applies to virtually everyone in every kind of job. Most of us in the corporate world need to collaborate with others. And if your success is dependent on the work of others, then it starts with an honest, direct conversation with your colleagues about what you need from them — what's working and what isn't, and ways to work more effectively. If that doesn't work, your only other recourse is to notify your boss about what is dependent on others, what they aren't delivering and how you tried to remedy the situation without success. This isn't grammar school — you aren't tattling on anyone. It's not personal, it's business (almost everything harkens back to "The Godfather") — so you do your best to work together and help your co-workers. Failing that, you have no choice but to involve your manager.


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Syrian President says US airstrikes haven’t weakened ISIS

US airstrikes against ISIS have not weakened the terrorists' foothold in the Middle East, embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claims.

"ISIS has expanded since the beginning of the strikes," Assad said in a segment aired Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes."

"Some Americans want to sugar-coat the situation . . . to say that it's getting better," he said, adding the terrorist group might be gaining 1,000 new recruits a month.

Still, Assad claimed ISIS has not captured the "hearts and minds" of the people of Syria — but insisted that he has.

"They have lost," Assad said.


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Flashbacks, hijacking, murder: The 5 maddest ‘Mad Men’ finale theories

As the final episodes of AMC's "Mad Men" begin on April 5, our attention turns again to the many theories, from the mundane to the outlandish, about how the cryptic '60s drama will conclude. Creator Matthew Weiner has been vague, but says he's known for years how it will all go down: He said on the "Today" show this week that he informed the show's star, Jon Hamm, four years ago — but no one else, until the time came to shoot the final episode.

Ultimately, we can rest assured we're in good hands with Weiner, whose show — while having its highs and lows (there are a lot of Season 5 haters out there) — has consistently delivered one of the highest-quality viewing experiences in decades.

"I do know how the whole show ends," Weiner told Grantland in 2011. "It came to me in the middle of [Season 4]. I always felt like it would be the experience of human life. And human life has a destination. It doesn't mean Don's gonna die . . . Do I know everything that's gonna happen? No, I don't. But I just want it to be entertaining, and I want people to remember it fondly, and not think it ended in a fart." Duly noted.

While we wait for the end to come, let's review the major theories floating around out there among the "Mad" fans:

Don's days are numbered


First, and most prevalent, there's that falling man in the credits. Is it Don Draper leaping to his doom? Throughout "Mad Men," mortality has been a huge theme, and last year's episodes were rife with airplane imagery. Could he be fated to die in a plane crash? Or, in a more literal turn, jump out his office window? There's certainly been in-office death (Lane Pryce) and near-death (Roger Sterling's heart attack) before. Or could Don have a brain tumor, as the Guardian and others postulated, which caused him to hallucinate that blissful Bert Cooper soft-shoe number in the midseason finale?

More broadly, fans have speculated for years that Don will die — using, in later seasons, everything from his reading of "The Inferno" to his creation of a suicide-evoking ad ("Hawaii: The jumping off point") to Neve Campbell's sexy airplane character as "the angel of death" to point to his inevitable demise.

Don is D.B. Cooper

D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane in 1971 — and he sure does look like Don Draper in these FBI sketches.Photo: REUTERS/FBI/Handout

One theory that's recently caught fire in online circles is that Don will go on to become D.B. Cooper. The infamous Cooper hijacked an airliner in 1971, arranged for $200,000 in ransom money, and parachuted away, never to be seen again. The FBI sketch from the time bears a resemblance to Don. And Don's departed colleague Bert Cooper could inspire a plausible fake name for the ad man, who, in fact, stole the name Don Draper from another dead friend.

Megan is a goner

Megan wears a T-shirt similar to one Sharon Tate was pictured in before she was murdered by Charles Manson.Photo: Courtesy of AMC

The once-popular Sharon Tate theory held that Megan Draper, living alone in the Hollywood Hills, is fated to be murdered by Charles Manson. But it was shot down by Weiner despite similarities between a red-star T-shirt Megan sported last season and one Tate was pictured wearing in a 1967 Esquire magazine photo shoot.

"It's so flimsy and thin, and at the same time I'm like, 'Wow, that's a lot of coincidences,'" he told the Television Critics Association in January.

But he went on to assure: "I would not add a person who was not murdered by the Manson family into that murder."

It becomes 'Mad Women'

Some think Peggy (left) and Joan could break off to start their own ad agency.Photo: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Some have imagined a new collaboration breaking off to start another advertising agency — perhaps, even, Joan Holloway and Peggy Olson, as the Web site Bustle recently postulated. (This would, of course, be an excellent stopping place for a show called "Mad Men.") Or, short of that, perhaps Don, Peggy and Pete Campbell launch a business together, per their Burger Chef bonding moment last year?

It was all a memory

Maybe Sally Draper is telling the story of her dad in a flashback.Photo: Frank Ockenfels/AMC

Was the show all a flashback or a remembrance by Sally Draper? This theory has Sally going on to attend Woodstock, since her upstate New York school is near the location of the famed 1969 rock concert, and, eventually, chronicling her dad's troubled heyday from the vantage point of a modern woman. Web site Salon imagined adult Sally as Susan Sarandon — a nice touch.


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Firefighters union to urge reinstatement of disability benefits

The firefighters union is planning to blitz City Council members Monday with fliers urging them to reinstate disability benefits for more recent hires, many of whom are minorities.

The mailer — emblazoned with the faces of 12 Asian, black, Latino and female firefighters — proclaims, "I am not a political football . . . I deserve real benefits."

The Uniformed Firefighters Association has been pressing the council for weeks to vote on a resolution that would restore 75 percent disability benefits for firefighters hired after July 2009, when a change cut on-the-job benefits to 50 percent of their salaries.


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Why old-school performance reviews are actually terrible

William Martinez will never forget the anxiety he used to feel before his quarterly performance reviews. The customer-service manager recalls sitting in a conference room with his general manager and an HR rep as they would comb through his phone logs, calling out the 28-year-old for making few outbound calls, and reference spreadsheets showing the number of new vendors who were contacted each day. (The goal was to hit 100.)

But to Martinez, quality superseded quantity. "What was way more important to me was working one important vendor and that you got that vendor — that's a big-time account," he says.

And because he viewed these reviews as stuffy and awkward, the employee for the Brooklyn-based Car Part Kings was thrilled when his employer ditched it completely two years ago.

But Martinez isn't alone in loathing the process. According to a 2012 survey conducted by the consulting firm Achievers, employers and employees alike think old-school annual reviews are a waste of time. Just 2 percent of surveyed professionals think they're helpful and necessary. As a result, many companies are trending toward less formal, more relevant procedures to measure performance and provide meaningful feedback.

Martinez's boss, Michael Dash, agrees — which is precisely why the president of the Flatiron-based online auto-parts business tossed the reviews altogether in favor of Web-based tools that measure time and project management, including minutes or hours spent on individual tasks and phone calls. Employees have access to all results, which are graphically displayed on a moment's notice to track performance, workload and quality. All these factors, plus overall sales increase and one's interest in the job, come into play when annual salary increases are discussed in January.

Just 2 percent of surveyed professionals think reviews are helpful and necessary.Photo: Shutterstock.com

"Our employees are happier and feel more efficient when they don't feel judged," Dash says. The old process created anxiety, which was counterproductive to boosting his team's performance.

Although Martinez says transitioning to the Web-based model at first felt a little "Big Brother-ish," now he completely forgets it's there. "There's no reason for me to think about the system," he explains.

Aside from measurement tools, performance-related conversations occur through short daily discussions between managers and employees, as well as biweekly group meetings. The startup has an intimate, informal culture, so conversations about performance occur regularly, not on a time frame of every 180 or 360 days.

This open dialogue, says positive psychology expert Michelle McQuaid, is key to success regardless of the tool to measure performance. "Managers who focus on having strengths-focused conversations with their employees are more likely to see an improvement in job performance, while those who focus on weaknesses are more likely to see a decline," she says. According to the 2015 Strengths @ Work Survey she conducted in conjunction with the VIA Institute, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit, 37 percent of managers pat people on the back saying they're doing OK, 21 percent say nothing and 8 percent focus on weaknesses — "all of which leaves employees feeling less engaged and energized about their work."

Managers who focus on strengths-focused conversations with employees are more likely to see an improvement in job performance, while those who focus on weaknesses are more likely to see a decline.Photo: Shutterstock.com

One way to boost engagement and dialogue is constant interaction. Andrew Royce Bauer, CEO of Royce Leather, got rid of performance reviews five years ago when his Secaucus-based company started performing better post-recession, and provides constant communication and feedback. "Performance is reviewed every single day," says Royce.

Because he built up the family business from a mom-and-pop luggage and leather goods shop, he flexes a day-to-day startup mentality. He tries to give at least every employee a 2-to-3 percent salary increase each year and determines annual bonuses by "how much profit we make each day."

So while processes differ from company to company, Steve Albrecht, HR consultant and co-author of "The Timeless Leader," says the value is in the actual interaction.

"Some employees really hate the whole process, argue during the meetings, and write strong rebuttals," Albrecht says. "Truly successful [employees] listen, agree to make changes, and actually grow."


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NYU freshman petitions against school’s $70,974 per year cost

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 29 Maret 2015 | 20.49

A teenager from Pakistan who has been newly accepted as a freshman at NYU has already made a name for herself there — by starting a petition protesting the school's spiraling costs.

Nia Mirza, 19, says in her Change.org petition that she'd been told early on that tuition and estimated expenses would total $64,000.

Now that she has paid her deposit and is locked in to attending, she's been informed the actual costs will be $70,974, she said.

"Rather unfair," her petition calls the hike, asking that costs be rolled back. As of Saturday night, more than 3,300 people had signed on to her cause.

NYU has said through a spokesman that the annual budget was "still being developed" when early-decision candidates like Mizra were offered admission.


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Jewish rescue group acquires military truck to help out in emergencies

It's there to search — but not destr-oy.

An Orthodox Jewish-founded search-and-rescue group is acquiring heavy-duty military equipment in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to help out in emergencies when standard vehicles just won't cut it.

One of its most impressive recent acquisitions is a US Army cargo truck that's turning heads in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

"A truck like this is a big asset," said Lee Rosenberg, who founded the nonprofit about eight years ago.

Initially, the 30-member organization — which gets by on private donations and trains its members in everything from first aid to operating chainsaws — started off as a group of Orthodox ATV enthusiasts who responded to a missing person in the upstate town of Woodridge.

Hurricane Sandy made members realize that bigger is better in times of crisis.

That's where the "deuce and a half" comes in, Rosenberg said of the truck with a payload of 2¹/₂ tons.

The AM General-made 1994 M35-A3 six-wheeler reaches a top speed of about 55 mph.

Group member Simon Rimpler paid about $10,000 for the mitzvah mobile, which he purchased from a pal last year.

Rimpler, 27, said he's gotten plenty of curious reactions when he cruises around the neighborhood.

"People salute me," he said.

And if he wears a baseball cap instead of a yarmulke, "They think I'm a bit of a redneck, playing around with a truck like this."

Rimpler, a paramedic by trade and congregant at Flatbush Minyan on Avenue H, has been parking the truck behind the synagogue for about two months.

"It's a deterrent. If some bad guy thinks the US Army is here, he'll think twice," said Rabbi Meir Fund.


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Diplomatic vehicles rack up more than $16M in parking tickets

Diplomats have 529 legal places to park in New York City — but still racked up more than $16 million in parking tickets, The Post has learned.

The city has issued 219,902 parking violations to diplomatic vehicles including 18,008 alone to Egypt which owes $1.97 million, the most of any country.

Most of the $16 million in parking debt was accumulated before a 2002 agreement between the city and the US State Department that was supposed to curb abuses. But the accord hasn't stopped scofflaw countries, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, Indonesia and Italy, from amassing tens of thousands in fines. Each nation owes some $24,000 for tickets received since 2002.

In total, the city issued 42,449 tickets since 2002, and $758,968 in fines remain outstanding.

The city can take away parking decals from any country that has more than three tickets outstanding for more than 100 days. But officials refused to disclose which nations are thumbing their noses at the rules, saying that doing so would be "unduly prejudicial."

"We will continue to enforce the program in a way that works together with diplomatic community members to hold them to the same standards as any other New Yorkers," said Penny Abeywardena, the commissioner for the Mayor's Office of International Affairs.

The 2002 agreement gave each UN mission two designated spots and one or two spots to each consulate.

The city Department of Transportation, which puts up the parking signs, would not disclose their locations.

But a Freedom of Information Law request by The Post revealed 529 parking spots heavily concentrated on the east side of Manhattan, with some located outside diplomatic residences.


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Cuomo and lawmakers still at impasse over school deal

Gov. Cuomo and state lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal Saturday as they bickered over teacher evaluations, struggling schools and ethics.

Cuomo insisted sides were "close" and said he'd extend negotiations into next week with a Wednesday deadline looming.

He blamed the teachers union for the delay in hammering out a plan to hold teachers accountable.

"We have tried and then the political lion has stood up and roared and the politicians have run away," he said.

Cuomo wants to base half of a teacher's evaluation on their students' state exam results, and to take control of the state's worst schools.

When Assembly Democrats balked, Cuomo floated the idea of creating a legislative commission with the power to alter teacher evaluations.

The Assembly prefers giving such authority to the state Board of Regents, which it controls.


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‘Dog Day Afternoon’ fanatic seeking chunk of movie’s profits

He's doggedly determined to get his payday from "Dog Day Afternoon."

After decades of litigation and despite an injunction barring him from filing additional lawsuits, the former jailhouse lover of the man who inspired the 1975 film starring Al Pacino is back in court.

In 2011, a state judge found George Heath had engaged in a "continuous and vexatious pattern of litigation" to get a share of the Oscar-winning film's $50 million gross and banned him from filing further lawsuits.

Heath claims he is entitled to 1 percent of the movie's profits, the amount real-life bank robber John Wojtowicz agreed to accept in exchange for selling the rights to his story to Warner Bros.

In 1972, Wojtowicz was a married, 27-year-old Vietnam veteran who tried to rob a Chase Manhattan bank in Brooklyn to get money for boyfriend Ernest Aron's sex-change operation. The bizarre encounter evolved in a 14-hour standoff between Wojtowicz and cops and attracted a large crowd and a live television audience.

Wojtowicz was convicted of bank robbery in 1973 and sent to prison, where he met Heath, who claims he acted as one of Wojtowicz's lawyers as he negotiated the sale of his story.

Heath was back in Manhattan federal court last week, seeking $2 million in damages from Warner Bros. and the state Crime Victims Board, arguing that previous rejections of his claims violated his civil rights.

The movie's profits were in part claimed by the board to satisfy judgments from the victims of Wojtowicz, who died in 2006.

Warner Bros. declined to comment.


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De Blasio gets roasted at Inner Circle bash

It was his night to get skewered by the press — but he took the biggest "pot'' shots at himself.

The occasion was Saturday night's Inner Circle bash at the New York Hilton, where each year the City Hall press corps and the mayor take out their frustrations by roasting each other.

Bill de Blasio as "Bill de BLAZEio"Photo: Christopher Sadowski

The mayor, a former hippie, relived his past as a picture of a young "Bill de BLAZEio'' — photoshopped smoking a spliff — was flashed on a screen.

In another scene de Blasio and his wife, Chirlane, sat on the porch at Gracie Mansion, eating celery, their code for weed. Chirlane observes, "You know what they say, it's always 420 somewhere,'' using another ganja reference.

The mayor reminisces, "One time at NYU I had some bad celery. For a couple of hours I thought I was a Republican.''

Louis C.K. played de Blasio's subconscious in a skit.Photo: AP

His skit opened with Louis C.K., playing de Blasio's subconscious, asking, "Is there anything more useless than a reporter?''

Alexander Hamilton soon appears on a video complaining that de Blasio was running two hours late for a duel.

"I think I'm going to call my homies at the New York Post, which I founded," the founding father muses.

At another point, a woman who presumably lives near Gracie Mansion urges de Blasio to move — and says Post owner Rupert Murdoch should be mayor of the Upper East Side.

Among those attending the event at the New York Hilton were Gov. Cuomo and Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bahara, who is investigating the governor's very controversial dissolution of the Moreland Commission which was investigating corruption in Albany.

The two did not speak to one another, according to people who were in the same area.

Members of the press started off the proceedings by ribbing de Blasio for his dealings with cops, animals and politicians.

Bill de Blasio and Chirlane with their pretend "pot" on stage.Photo: AP

In one scene, a bodega owner named John Catsimatidis catches a young Bill de Blasio stealing a Snickers Bar and a copy of Karl Marx's Das Kapital. He calls cops — and when they arrive, Catsimatidis shouts at his young shoplifter:' "Assume the position!''

The cops, mistaking that Catsimatidis meant them, turn their backs on de Blasio.

One of them, Bill Bratton, lets his future boss keep the book because "it's approved under our Commie-Stat program.'' But he confiscates the candy.

In another scene, police union head Pat Lynch promises de Blasio that NYPD cops will no longer turn their backs to him."Instead we'll turn the other cheek.''

Then they turn around and display the plastic backsides they've strapped on.

Another highlight was the mayor confronted by a virtual zoo — including the ghost of the groundhog he dropped, the ferrets he refused to legalize and a carriage horse who wants to keep his job.

As for politicians, de Blasio sings, "they should all love me, to disagree is nuts / except for Cuomo, that miserable young putz.''


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Fight anti-Semitism by inviting a non-Jew to Seder

The ground is shifting under the feet of European Jews, with anti-Semitism rising up around them.

We American Jews are rightly concerned at this alarming news. We fear the spread of this new particularly virulent form of anti-Semitism to our own shores. We feel disgusted but helpless at alarming news reports.

What can we do?

I believe that each of us has an obligation to fight anti-Semitism, just as we should stand up to any other deeply ingrained prejudice that we encounter. To do this, we must combat the ignorance that feeds the disease of prejudice.

I'd like to suggest that the task is not as daunting as it would seem. There is something simple each of us can do as a start this Passover — which commemorates the liberation of Jews from Egyptian slavery.

I am from the growing Jewish school of thought that embraces inclusion.

This year, invite non-Jews to your Seder. Seders are the ceremonial dinners held on the first two nights of the eight-day festival — starting this Friday, April 3 — featuring symbolic staples such matzo, unleavened bread to show how the Jews left Egypt in a rush and without time to let their bread rise; bitter herbs, representative of the bitterness of slavery; and charoset, an apple-walnut mixture that's a reminder of the mortar used by slaves to build the pyramids.

Our goal is for as many Jewish families as possible to invite an average of two non-Jews to a Seder this year.

If every family does this, some six million non-Jews will experience a Seder this year, and at the very least taste traditional Passover foods and learn of their significance — not to mention gain an invaluable window into Jewish life and values, and a better understanding of the connection Jews feel to the land of Israel.

(Here's how I calculated this number: With some 14 million Jews on the planet today, I estimate there could be two million Seders held on the the first night of Passover, and another million for the second Seder the following evening.)

There are other benefits to inviting non-Jews to your Seder table beyond countering anti-Semitism present and future.

Including non-Jews encourages us to make our Seders lively and accessible, and may help us discover new folds of the Exodus story.

Photo: Shutterstock

I know that what I advocate is contrary to traditional Jewish law.

Technically, Jews are not supposed to invite non-Jews to their Seder table. The primary reason for this prohibition stems from a ruling that only permits a Jew to cook for others who observe the laws of a holiday.

The only exception to this is if Passover falls on Shabbat, when one is not permitted to cook in any case. Some also believe it is inappropriate to share the paschal lamb or matzo with a non-Jew.

But like many Jewish laws, these have been subject to a millennium of rabbinical interpretation. A majority of rabbis today would not censure a Jew who invites non-Jews to a Seder, and have even drawn on other traditional sources to circumvent this prohibition.

I am from the growing Jewish school of thought that embraces inclusion, and to my ears, these old laws and strictures are painfully out of touch with the meaning of Judaism.

I see inviting non-Jews to Seders as a mitzvah, and I believe the majority of Jews would agree.


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The science behind brain farts and selfies

"AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the World's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, & Unexplained Phenomenon" by Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown (Scribner)

Does shaving make your hair grow in thicker? Does being cold make you sick? What's the best length of time to power nap?

These are the kind of off-beat questions that have fueled the popularity of AsapSCIENCE, a YouTube series hosted by Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown (the answers, by the way, are no, slightly and 10-30 minutes).

Now the duo have collected their work into a new book, "AsapSCIENCE" (Scribner) where they address old wives' tales, unexplained phenomena and curiosities. Moffit and Brown shared with The Post a few of their favorite questions:

Is binge-watching TV bad for you?

Not only is a sedentary lifestyle a major contributor to obesity, but studies have also shown that people who watch less TV tend to burn more calories — even if they aren't doing more physical activity! Simply doing more mentally rigorous tasks like reading requires more energy and burns more calories.

TV before bed may also be hurting you. Studies have shown that it may actually reduce your hours of quality sleep, contributing to chronic sleep debt. It may also affect other bedtime activities; researchers have found that men who watch more than 20 hours of TV a week have, on average, a 44% reduction in sperm.

But perhaps the most significant findings relate directly to your life span. Not only is there a documented correlation between TV viewing time and the risk of diabetes and heart disease, but shockingly, multiple studies have also found a correlation between TV viewing time and all causes of death. One study concluded that every hour spent in front of the TV may cut as much as 22 minutes off your life.

Why do we have brain farts?

Photo: Shutterstock


You know, those times when your brain seemingly forgets how to function or you're unable to speak like a normal human being for about five seconds?

The scientific term for this phenomenon is "maladaptive brain activity change." Yes, scientists have actually devoted time to understanding this conundrum.

After monitoring brain activity in individuals during repetitive tasks, they began to notice something incredible: They could actually see abnormal brain activity up to 39 seconds before the mistake was made.

This was a big surprise, because many assumed that these blunders were simply caused by a momentary lapse in concentration.

Instead, almost half a minute before an error, the brain regions associated with relaxation become active, while those linked to maintaining task effort begin to shut down.

But as soon as you notice your mistake or lapse, brain activity kicks into overdrive and goes back to normal. These types of mistakes are much more common during repetitive or overly familiar activities. Scientists believe this is the brain's attempt to save energy during a task, by entering a more restful state. However, sometimes the brain takes the relaxation a bit too far, leading to your slipup.

Interestingly, many scientists believe that inward-focused thinking (like daydreaming) is actually the default setting for your brain. In order to complete other tasks, your brain really has to focus and inhibit your daydreaming tendencies. So when you begin to do something that your brain thinks it's used to — like washing the dishes or even talking to someone in a familiar circumstance — it reverts back to the default setting and you slip up. You accidentally put the plate in the wrong cupboard or completely forget what you were talking about!

Why do we hate photos of ourselves?

From the book 'Cat Selfies.'Photo: Cat Selfies / Mercury Press / Caters News


Simply put, we all have a tendency to prefer familiar things.

After repeated exposure to anything, you will psychologically prefer it over a version that you have seen less often. As crazy as it may seem, this has been tested with words, paintings, sounds, pictures and even geometric figures.

And it just so happens that the version of yourself that you see most often is your mirror or reflected image.

But a photograph is not your reflected image. In fact, your photo image is the way everybody else sees you on a daily basis. Your brain, however, isn't familiar with this view of you and might interpret it as "off."

Why does time feel faster as we age?

Photo: Shutterstock


From a neurological perspective, every time you encounter something new, your brain tries to record as much information as possible.

Thousands of neurons are stimulated, which help code and store this information, ultimately causing you to feel and notice a lot. But as time goes on, the "new" experience becomes old, and your brain begins to use less and less energy to encode information — simply because it already knows it. If you drive to and from work every day, the drive isn't stimulating your brain nearly as much as the first time you took that route.

Of course, we experience most of our "firsts" during the earlier portion of life, which contributes to the overwhelming feeling that much more happened when we were young. Whether it was your first kiss, first bike ride or first time drinking alcohol, the likelihood of encountering completely new experiences is much higher at a young age.

But all hope is not lost. If you continue finding novel experiences throughout old age — things that stimulate new parts of your brain — time may feel slower again.

Copyright © 2015 by AsapSCIENCE Inc. From "AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the World's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, & Unexplained Phenomenon" by Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown, to be published by Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Printed by permission.


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Inside the reclusive Amish world – where beard cutting is a hate crime

It was 11 at night on Oct. 4, 2011, when five Amish men knocked on the door of Myron Miller, a 46-year old bishop in an Amish community in Carroll County, Ohio.

When he opened the door, the men "grabbed him, tugging at his long, salt-and-pepper beard and struggled to pull him outside."

"Lebanon" Levi Stoltzfus claims to be an Amish enforcer.Photo: Handout

After wrestling him to the ground, one of the men brought out a large scissors and cut his beard.

While unusual, the assault might not strike casual readers as something that would bring about long prison terms. But the attack was categorized as a hate crime, and a 66-year-old man who wasn't present for the cutting was eventually sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

According to "Amish Confidential," a sometimes fascinating look at the lives of the reclusive American Amish written by "Lebanon" Levi Stoltzfus of "Amish Mafia" fame, men in the Amish community begin growing beards on their wedding day, and never shave them.

The beard is not just a signifier of marriage, but, writes Stoltzfus, "a symbol of great importance and identity. To Amish men, beards mean maturity. They mean solid values and stability. They mean, 'I am not vain. God gave me this beard, and I'm wearing it without apology.' "

The Mullet Gang

All of which lends a more vicious tint to the acts of the five men who dragged Miller into the night to deprive him of his manhood and identity.

These men, it turns out, were two sons and three other followers of a controversial 66-year-old bishop named Samuel Mullet.

Bishops in the Amish community are the interpreters of religious tradition and law, and set the rules their followers must live by. Some are stricter than others, and Mullet was one of the strictest — and, by non-Amish standards, one of the loopiest, especially for how he punished followers who failed to obey his every creed.

"Almost anything could set the bishop off," writes Stoltzfus. "Some ex-members alleged that he had forced men to sleep in chicken coops as punishment for ogling non-Amish women. There was even talk that he had coerced women to have sex with him to make them better wives. Mullet said it was counseling. His lawyer referred to him as the 'Amish Dr. Ruth.' "

Sam Mullet was sent to prison for orchestrating beard cutting attacks on other Amish men.Photo: AP

Mullet's methods were so outrageous that, in a remarkable rarity, 300 Amish bishops overturned many of his punishments. In the midst of this widespread opposition to Mullet's tactics, the Millers had helped Mullet's son escape his grasp.

This was their crime, and to Mullet, the crime called for punishment, leading to his order to cut Miller's beard.

Miller was not the only victim of Mullet's scissored justice. At least five attacks were recorded in late 2011, and it's likely more went unreported. Men were not the only victims; certain disobedient women had their hair cut, a move as significant and disgracing as shaving a man's beard.

(Attackers) grabbed Barbara, held her and forced her to watch as one of the men cut off her husband's beard with horse mane-cutting shears. - 'Lebanon' Levi Stoltzfus, in 'Amish Confidential'

While the Amish take every measure to keep disputes within their community, the Millers "swallowed hard and called the police," as they "couldn't stomach the idea of others going through what they had."

Even more astonishing was that in the wake of the arrests of Mullet and 15 of his followers involved in the cuttings, the area bishops gave permission to their followers to not only cooperate with the police, but to appear in court if needed.

Andy Hershberger, whose father had been attacked, testified that "as the men held his father down, the older man 'was shaking all over. He pleaded: 'Don't shear me. Don't shear me.' "

Mullet's influence over his followers, regarded as cult-like by many, was the sort that turned family members against each other. After his sister, Barbara Miller, and her family left his community, shocked at Mullet's reign of anger and violence, Miller and her husband were attacked by their own children and their families.

The attackers "grabbed Barbara, held her and forced her to watch as one of the men cut off her husband's beard with horse mane-cutting shears.

One of the Millers' sons used battery-powered clippers to shave his father's head. Her daughter and daughters-in-law then used the same shears to slice off two feet of her waist-length hair. Two of the women carried out the attack while holding infants in their arms."

Jury deliberations took a week before all the defendants were found guilty. During sentencing, the judge admonished them, saying their victims would carry "emotions and scars for the rest of their lives," and that in their actions, they "trampled on the Constitution, particularly the First Amendment."

The defendants save Mullet received sentences ranging from "a year and a day to seven years."

Mullet, who faced life in prison, received 15 years. The hate crimes convictions were overturned on appeal last year, but Mullet remains in prison, as he was convicted on other charges as well.

Legally, appeals move forward, and it's possible that Mullet could be freed before the end of his sentence. Last October, his 23-year-old grandson wrote an article claiming that his grandfather is a cult leader who still runs his cult from his prison cell.

Sins and forgiveness

An Amish family rides along Route 812 in Heuvelton, N.Y.Photo: AP

Beyond the beard cutting, "Amish Confidential" serves as a primer to Amish life.

While Lancaster's famed Amish community is often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch, for example, "Dutch" is based on American misunderstandings of "Deutsch," the German term for their language. The Amish speak is a form of German, not Dutch.

Stoltzfus (the name is the Amish version of Smith or Jones, and the surname of many people mentioned in this book) cites many ways in which our perception of the Amish is off-base.

Even though it's forbidden, for example, many Amish drive cars, do drugs and have premarital sex. The Amish community, he claims, even has a widespread incest problem.

In other ways, the Amish are exactly as we perceive them, as in their talent for barn-raising. Stoltzfus tells how his father died after a farming accident when Stoltzfus was two — the man's leg was cut off "to the hip" by a corn cutter, and the loss of blood caused his death four days later. In his grief, Stoltzfus' older brother, Henry, burned down their barn three weeks later.

"The neighbors did what the Amish do," Stoltzfus writes. "They came right over and raised a new barn for us. I think it took two days."

But if there's one aspect of the Amish community that stands out more than any other, it's their incredible capacity for forgiveness, a determination to "turn the other cheek" that shows what a true pacifist community is like.

Claping, Stoltzfus explains, is, at the least, a form of harassment that finds non-Amish teens driving through Amish communities throwing anything from yogurt to rocks to jagged pieces of tile at passing Amish pedestrians or horse and buggy passengers.

In August 1979, a piece of tile hurled into a buggy hit 7-month-old Adeline Schwartz as she rested in her mother's arms. When the family returned home, they noticed blood pooling in the baby's ear. They rushed to a neighbor's house to use the phone to call for an ambulance, but the baby died before the call was made.

Four young men were arrested for the crime — one of them was played by a young Brad Pitt in the eventual TV movie about the case — but in his only interview, with Rolling Stone magazine, the child's father, Levi Schwartz, said that he held no malice against the boys who killed his daughter.

"Sometimes I do feel angry," he said, "but I don't like having that feeling against anyone. It is no way to live."

Asked what he would say to the boys if he saw them, he replied, "I would talk good to them. I wouldn't talk angry to them or want them to talk angry to me."

The boys pled guilty, but the judge, saying he was "influenced by the spirit of the Amish," kept them all out of jail, sentencing them to fines and either suspended sentences or probation.

Amish women mourn in front of the school where Charles Carl Roberts IV went on a shooting spree.Photo: Christopher Sadowski

A far grander display of Amish forgiveness came in 2006. In a crime that made national headlines, a non-Amish milk truck driver named Charles Carl Roberts IV entered an Amish schoolhouse with a gun, ordering all but the young girls to leave.

He then shot all 10 of them at point blank range, saying, "I'm angry at God, and I need to punish some Christian girls to get even with him." Five of the girls were wounded, but survived.

The other five, aged 7-12, died. Roberts ended the siege with a bullet he'd reserved for himself.

In the hours that followed, the Amish people did something extraordinary. Groups of them began showing up at the home of Roberts' mother, Terri Roberts, not to express their anger over the tragedy, but rather the opposite — to show their forgiveness.

"Every one of them had the same message for her," writes Stoltzfus. "Do not leave. Forgiveness is genuine. We are all in this together."

Sometime soon after, a group of Amish men approached the home of Roberts' wife Marie's parents, while she was inside. Her father went to deal with the men, and Marie was stunned to see the men hugging her father.

Dozens of the local Amish respectfully attended Roberts' funeral, and Terri Roberts was invited to the funerals of the murdered girls, which she attended.

Of the five girls who survived, Rosanna King, age 6 at the time of the shootings, has suffered the worst, felled by a brain injury that has left her wheelchair bound, unable to walk or speak.
King's family is assisted with her care by a steady stream of volunteers from their community. Terri Roberts is one of those volunteers.

"She has become a familiar presence in the victims' families' lives," Stoltzfus writes. "A tall, thin woman with spiky gray hair, she comes to the King's house most Thursdays, helping to bathe Rosanna and read her stories. Her enduring presence in this circle of tragedy seems to bring comfort to everyone."

Fact and fiction

Cast of "Amish Mafia"Photo: Discovery Channel

Disappointingly, given the book's many strengths, it's essential to point out that "Amish Mafia," a "reality" show on the Discovery Channel starring Stoltzfus as a sort of town enforcer that runs its series finale this Tuesday after four seasons, has been widely attacked as a fabrication.

For Stoltzfus' part, many have poked holes in his claims to be a major figure in the Pennsylvania Dutch community. Local area outlet LancasterOnline, to name just one, interviewed local figures familiar with this community when the show began in late 2012, and all claimed that none of the Amish they knew had heard of him.

The same outlet, in 2013, tracked down people who knew Stoltzfus, and all said he was a "nice" and peaceful guy, and that his tough guy image on the show was "a persona."

Smartly for this book, Stoltzfus enlisted Ellis Henican, a Newsday columnist who has written books with Charlie Crist, Doc Gooden and more, as his collaborator, and also presents the deeper side of certain stories that received public coverage, so many of their facts are verifiable.

"Amish Mafia" may be at least partly fiction — but "Amish Confidential" shows the truth is just as strange.


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Matt Harvey dating Polish beauty

Modal Trigger
Ania Cywinska

Jens Ingvarsson

New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey gets into his Maserati with Cywinska.

Anthony J. Causi

Ania Cywinska

Anthony J. Causi

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New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, who has made a triumphant return to the mound after elbow surgery, has yet another model girlfriend — Polish beauty Ania Cywinska.

Ania celebrated Matt's 26th birthday on Friday by posting an Instagram picture of herself and the Mets star looking happy together on a Florida beach and wrote, "Happy birthday, Boo," as she is seen kissing him on the cheek.

Ania also posted video of Harvey pitching three weeks ago and another shot of herself posing next to his poster on Feb. 14 at Derek Jeter's Players' Tribune launch party, and wrote, "Last night with this guy."

Harvey had previously said Jeter — who is dating Sports Illustrated cover girl Hannah Davis — is his idol when it comes to romancing the ladies.

"That guy is the model," Harvey told Men's Journal.

"First off, let's just look at the women he's dated. Obviously, he goes out — he's meeting these girls somewhere — but you never hear about it. That's where I want to be."

But the Mets Lothario isn't quite there, yet. We've heard he has previously dated models including Ashley Haas, Anne Vyalitsyna and Shannon Rusbuldt.

A source tells us Matt has been dating Ania, a New York-based model signed with the Marilyn Agency, for a while.

The source said, "They met through friends while out in New York and have been seeing each other for a few months."

Meanwhile, Harvey has been turning in dominant performances after returning to the team from Tommy John surgery. He had a strong outing Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

He said after the game, "For me, coming out facing hitters, I feel just as normal as I ever have — like I haven't skipped a beat."

The Mets' opening game is on April 6 against the Washington Nationals in DC.

A Mets spokesman said, "We do not comment on our players' personal lives."


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What celebrity chefs want for their last supper

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Maret 2015 | 20.49

Photo: Post Composite Graphic

NYC chefs wouldn't want any old loaves and fishes for their final meal.

For the actual Last Supper — commemorated this ­­Thursday — Jesus supposedly dined on tilapia, bread, honeycomb, greens, possibly lamb and wine.

The son of God probably wasn't too fussy, but two milleniums later, when it comes to their own final feasts, popular chefs have very specific ideas. Have a look:

Marc Murphy

Photo: Getty Images/Handout

The Landmarc chef, whose cookbook "Season With Authority" is out next month, says he'd want a bowl of spaghetti carbonara with a "perfect" Italian red wine.

"Carbonara was one of the first dishes I learned to make, and it is one of the most indulgent," he says. "It's a sin worth dying for."

Anita Lo

Photo: Christian Johnston/Shutterstock

"My last supper would definitely have sweetbreads and truffles, two of my favorite ingredients. Nobody makes them better than David Waltuck of Élan [restaurant]," says the Annisa chef. "It would be a sweetbreads dish with freshly shaved truffles that he makes special just for me!"

At her own restaurant, Lo is known for mixing Asian and French fare, and her final feast would do the same.

"There would also need to be sushi," she says, "either something that I caught myself, or from Sushi Nakazawa that featured lots of uni."

Geoffrey Zakarian

Photo: PatrickMcMullan.com/Shutterstock

The Lamb's Club chef, who relaunched Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel in the fall, would want a bowl of fresh pasta with white truffles.

"It celebrates the earth and simplicity and what wonderful things God left us to enjoy," he says. "I would also want a charred rib-eye with barrels of Pétrus [wine]. It's the basic man-food-fire equation updated."

Maria Loi

Photo: Gabi Porter/Getty Images

Her new restaurant, Loi Estiatorio, serves the simple fare of her native Greece, and that's just what she'd want for her last dinner.

"I'd have freshly baked crusty bread with Greek extra virgin olive oil, feta cheese, dried Greek oregano from Mount Taygetos, a perfectly ripe tomato," she says. "These were my favorite things to eat as a child."

Eric Ripert

Photo: Gabi Porter/Shutterstock

The Le Bernardin chef is best known for his seafood preparations, but for his last repast he'd want something from the land.

"Black truffles with bread, olive oil, salt and some good Bordeaux," he says. "It's not your typical last meal. It's very simple, but it's something very special."

Missy Robbins

Photo: Michael Sofronski/Getty Images

She's soon to open an Italian place called Lillia in Williamsburg, and, fittingly, she'd want penne arrabiata and New Haven pizza ­­— plus chocolate chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. "I would wash it all down with bubbly!" she declares.

Wylie Dufresne

Photo: Getty Images (2)

Dufresne is famous for his molecular gastronomy creations, but he'd opt for something more pedestrian.

"I've always known that my last supper would be a cheeseburger with a fried egg on it, accompanied by a bottle of red wine," he says. "The burger would have to be rare, the yolk runny… For added decadence, I would have a side of crispy Popeye's fried chicken."

Donatella Arpaia

Photo: Getty Images/Shutterstock

"I would pick handmade spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil sauce, along with freshly baked focaccia, some thinly sliced prosciutto and burrata," says Arpaia, who recently opened Prova pizzeria.

"My first taste sense memory when I fell in love with food was spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil one summer in Capri. It was love at first bite, and I want it to be my last bite as well."

Daniel Boulud

Photo: FilmMagic/Handout

The toque with restaurants from here to Beijing has lots of far-flung ideas, but if he had to narrow it down, he'd stay close to home.

"If I could only have one meal, I would choose DBGB — I would gather my closest family and friends and serve all the sausages inspired by many of my favorite destinations, such as the truffle boudin blanc with creamy pommes mousseline from Lyon, the red-curry-spiced Thai sausage; the Tunisian lamb and mint sausage and the sweet Italian pork sausage with fennel and chili flakes," he says.

"And I would top all of that with a good bottle from Burgundy!"

Terrance Brennan

Photo: Jonathan Baskin/Gabi Porter

"I would start with Ossetra caviar from the Caspian Sea on buckwheat blinis, with Krug 1990 to celebrate life. Next would be a seafood plateau, with plenty of Belon oysters," says the Picholine chef.

"Then I would move on to margherita pizza with just-made mozzarella."


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6 signs your kid is ready for a dog

As the city thaws after a seemingly endless winter, the parks are again filling with stir-crazy adults, kids and canines alike, enjoying their first warm outdoor ventures of the season.

It's a magical time of year that leaves parents wondering if now is the time to add to their happy brood — with a dog.

The benefits of a family Fido are plentiful, especially for NYC tykes.

"For a child to have someone like that in a big city is very comforting," says Bijan Samawat, a Brooklyn-based dog trainer who operates B&B Dogworks.

But chances are your kid will forget the dog even exists when you pop in a "Frozen" DVD. Our experts reveal how to tell if your mini-me is ready for a furry companion.

3 signs your kid is ready for a dog

She behaves herself around other people's dogs: Age is just a number –  It's your child's behavior around canines that really counts. When you visit a friend who has a dog, does she try to pull Fido's tail or does she wait patiently for the dog to approach her first?

Photo: Getty Images

"The age doesn't matter as long as you teach the kid and the dog to respect each other's space at the same time," says Samawat.

He helps out around the house: Is your kid conscientious about existing chores? If so, he'll likely be good about taking care of a dog — no matter what his age. While a 3-year-old can't be expected to walk a dog, they can set down a dish for feeding.

"Look overall at what level of responsibility your child is ready for," says Denise Daniels, a child development and parenting expert. "If you see them being helpful, they're at a perfect age for a dog."

She's done her research: "Is your kid a super active teenager who wants to deal with getting up every couple of hours to take a puppy out, or a couch potato who might prefer hanging out with a senior dog on their lap all day?" asks Sara Alize Cross, founder and president of Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue.

If she's taken questions such as these into consideration and done research into the temperaments of different breeds, or even the benefits of an adult rescue dog, it's an indicator of responsibility.

3 signs your kid isn't ready for a dog

He's hyper and easily distracted: While both shy and outgoing kids can make good caretakers, those with too much pent-up energy may prove hazardous around a family pet.

"Some kids run around like chickens with their heads cut off," says Cross.

If he discards toys on a whim, he's likely not prepared to make a commitment. "You want to make sure the kid understands this isn't just a toy," Cross adds.

She's about to become a big sister: If you're expecting, it might not be the best time to add more responsibility to your soon-to-be-chaotic household, though plenty do. "You don't realize how overwhelming it will be, no matter how many people tell you," says Daniels of a growing household.

At the very least, skip the puppy and adopt an older, well-behaved rescue dog, adds Samawat.

Her schedule is already full of commitments: If you and your kids are already maxed out on soccer games, band practice and math tutors, then hold off on the new addition for now.

"The main thing you need is time," says Samawat. "I get a lot of people who have a lot of money, but they don't have time to walk the dog, take care of the dog, to train the dog."

If becoming a dog owner is important to your child, she will need to prioritize her commitments and see which ones she's willing to sacrifice in return for a furry friend.


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Fair-trade condoms are now a thing

Lauren Singer composts, buys in bulk and has used so little waste over the past two years that all of her trash fits into a mason jar.

But when it comes to sex, she was, until recently, like a lot of women: Sustainability wasn't as big a concern as safe intercourse.

That was until she learned how condoms are made while taking a sustainable economics course at NYU: Mass-marketed rubbers are often produced using toxic chemicals, unfair wages, child labor or production methods that are harmful to the environment.

So Singer ditched the Durex and went fair-trade.

Yes, like coffee, chocolate and cotton, rubbers are now coming under the scrutiny of fair-trade advocates, who say the industry has been overlooked and underserved by cheaply made products.

"I want to be a conscious consumer about everything, from my food to my condoms," says Singer, 23, a Williamsburg resident who runs the Simply Co., a company that sells chemical-free detergent.

Would she actually stop short of having sex without a fair-trade condom? She offers a "no comment."

Sustain CondomsPhoto: Handout

The professor she had at NYU, Jeffrey Hollender, is the founder of Seventh Generation, which sells eco-friendly cleaning products. He's now turning his attention to condoms.

He and his daughter Meika Hollender toured latex plantations around the world to find the best place to responsibly source the rubbers, eventually landing on a place in southern India.

What a lot of people don't know and don't talk about is there is a lot of child labor in the rubber industry says Meika, 27, who lives in the West Village.

In July, the Hollenders debuted Sustain Condoms, the world's first certified fair-trade condoms.

They look and feel like regular condoms (though a female friend reports they left a slightly slimy residue). They're available at Whole Foods and other health stores.

I want to be a conscious consumer about everything, from my food to my condoms. - Lauren Singer

Sustain is hardly the only conscientous condom on the market. In 2013, Tiffany Gaines launched Lovability Inc., a condom company that uses fair-trade latex.

Packaged in cute tins and available at lovabilitycondoms.com, they're designed to appeal to ladies.

"Women are very mindful of the cultural system that's affected by the product they purchase," says Gaines, a 24-year-old Union Square resident.

On top of fair-labor issues, many traditional condoms are made with casein, a milk protein that makes them nonvegan.

The animal issue attracted Rob Blatt, a 33-year-old marketer in Park Slope, to Sir Richard's condoms when he went vegan three years ago.

The brand, which launched its casein-free prophylactics in 2008 and has been moving toward using fair-trade materials, made sense when he started re-examining all the products he used regularly.

But he says he wouldn't refuse to sleep with someone if only a nonvegan condom were available ­— though he's usually packing his own.

"'Always be prepared' is a pretty good motto in this case," he says.


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The reality TV beginnings of how The Who came to be

Who knew The Who came about from a sort-of reality show? The documentary "Lambert & Stamp," out Friday, reveals how the band became successful due to the desire of two men to film the failures and triumphs of a band trying to make its start.

"Lambert & Stamp" refers to Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, the band's co-managers. Before they were involved in the music business, the two were aspiring filmmakers seeking a subject for a movie.

When Stamp saw London mod band the High Numbers, soon to be renamed The Who, he found their subject.

Chris Stamp and Kit LambertPhoto: Colin Jones/Sony Pictures Classics

The pair approached the band about managing them, despite neither having any knowledge of the music industry. The ultimate ambition was not to become band managers, but film directors.

"They were gonna film everything from all sides, the complete process," says James D. Cooper, director of "Lambert & Stamp."

But the two men were so different on paper that it's surprising they would interact at all.

Stamp, who died of cancer in 2012 at age 70, was the brother of actor Terence Stamp, and a blue-collar kid who grew up surrounded by poverty.

Kit Lambert, who died in 1981 at 45 of a cerebral hemorrhage, was the upper-class son of a composer. He was gay at a time when it was illegal.

They found similarities in their creative ambitions and their outcast natures.

Lambert and Stamp became so close that Who guitarist Pete Townshend says in the film he thought the two were having an affair. While the connection was never romantic or sexual, it was personal and deep.

The Who circa 1968. From left: John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey and Pete TownshendPhoto: Getty Images

"Chris didn't even know Kit was gay until a year down the road. That was never an issue," says Calixte Stamp, his wife of 33 years. "Chris always spoke of him as a brother."

Early on, Stamp took a job on a film in Norway, and sent his entire salary to The Who to pay their expenses, while Lambert worked with the band back home.

We see in the film that Stamp's family thought the whole endeavor was a bad idea — because they thought The Who were "too ugly" to be successful.

The pair's film idea never came to fruition, but the band took off and managing The Who became the creative endeavor that Lambert and Stamp had been searching for.

The pair influenced the band personally as well as professionally. Lambert convinced Roger Daltrey to keep his wife out of sight, as an unattached singer would work to their benefit.

The Who found modest success in the mid-'60s, with hits like "My Generation." In time, Lambert and the more artistically ambitious Townshend started to discuss classical compositions that the rocker grew up around. Out of this came the rock opera "Tommy."

Ironically, this first big success for The Who signaled the beginning of the end of their relationship with Lambert and Stamp.

The Who's Pete Townshend and Kit LambertPhoto: Tom Wright/Sony Pictures Classics

By the '70s, partying progressed into addiction for the pair — alcohol for Stamp, heroin for Lambert. Things got so bad the band fired the pair, who went their separate ways.

Lambert descended into reclusion as his addiction worsened, and he became a ward of the court. Stamp got sober in 1987 and became an addiction counselor; he went on to rebuild his relationships with Daltrey and Townshend, remaining close with them until his death.

While the end was tragic for one, the story of Lambert and Stamp is still remarkable.

"They thought making a film would [make them] who they wanted to be," says Cooper. "But when they found The Who, they found what they were looking for."


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This week’s couple: Question and answer

Is it possible to fall in love with anyone?

Maybe, if you ask them the right questions, according to psychologist Arthur Aron. He's come up with 36 probing queries that supposedly can make two people fall for each other.

Yossi, 35, and Ariana, 33, tested Aron's theory on their blind date at the Milling Room restaurant on the Upper West Side.

Yossi previously appeared in The Post in an article about the unsuccessful lengths he'd gone to looking for love.

Together, they took the quiz and discussed how they feel about family, relationships and their life goals. They developed a strong connection from the Q&A, but did it really make them fall in love? Read on.

She said

When I met Yossi, I didn't feel chemistry from the get-go, but I was open to getting to know him better.

Soon after we sat down, Yossi asked if I wanted to do the 36 questions, a quiz that is supposed to foster intimacy between potential mates. I was taken a little off guard but I'm pretty open and agreed to it.

We didn't connect romantically, but I think we learned a lot about each other, like what we're most grateful for in life. I appreciated his willingness to be so open.

The Milling Room was amazing. The service was impeccable and I will be dreaming of their Scottish salmon for a long time to come.

Yossi was self-deprecating, which I was not into at first, but I became more empathetic as we got to know each other.

It was definitely one of the more interesting dates I've ever been on. We connected on Facebook before parting ways, and I'd be up for hanging out again as friends.

He said

Upon first sight, Ariana was fine looking and had a warm personality. I was excited to get to know her.

She has been to Africa — Tanzania and Ghana. Since my work in telecom deals a lot with Africa we had a lot in common. We did the 36 questions and got to know each other pretty deeply. It was great.

At the Milling Room, we were treated like royalty. The food was amazing. My beet salad and salmon was incredible.

Ariana was very honest but also a bit too idealistic. That was her only negative trait. Other than that, she was great, and I'd like to hang out with her again. She is definitely a cool chick.


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