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## [CNN]For centuries, dogs have been humans- loyal, domesticated companions. They-ve been wild animals, doing what-s needed to survive. And in ancient Egypt, they served as bridges to the afterlife, with the hope that they-d intercede with the god Anubis on their owner-s behalf. But only now is it becoming known the extent to which dogs served this latter role 8 million times over. That is the number of dead animals, most of them dogs, estimated to have laid in the catacombs of Anubis around Saqqara, one of Egypt-s most historic and oft visited sites, according to a group of British researchers. While such mass burials aren-t unprecedented, given the numerous animal cults of ancient Egypt, this one-s scale makes it unique. *We-re very pleased and somewhat surprised by the results,* the project-s director Paul Nicholson from Cardiff University-s School of History, Archaeology and Religion said Saturday. *We hadn-t expected that there would be so many animals, and it opens up a new series of questions.*
## One question that experts can at least partially answer is why an Egyptian might have brought an animal, dead or alive, to such a place. Nicholson, who has been studying animal cults since the 1990s, explains that people wouldn-t have come simply to kill or even bury an animal so much as allow it to move onto a different plane. A dog, especially, would be a good fit because it might then interact with Anubis, an ancient Egyptian god of the dead depicted with the body of a man and head of a dog or, its close relative, a jackal. *The important thing was to provide a representation of the god with a fitting burial,* Nicholson said. *It-s not some sort of blood sacrifice. It-s a religious act that-s done for the best possible motive.*
 ## The animal-s owner would hope that, by doing this, *some good will come to you,* the Wales based Egyptologist noted. *Maybe you-re hoping that the animal will help someone in your family who has died recently [so that] Anubis will take care of that [relative].*Just as Egyptians- view of Anubis, and dogs, has been common knowledge for some time, so too have the dog catacombs of Anubis. This includes a map from 1897 that shows their location clearly marked. Still, most of the focus was on temples outside the catacomb. Until, that is, Nicholson-s team with the support and help from Egypt-s Supreme Council of Antiquities and sponsorship from National Geographic began working on the Saqqara site around 2009 and began exploring deep inside. They found a series of unadorned tunnels, in some cases filled with animal remains and in other cases cleared out. [Nicholson speculated that some may have been taken out for use in fertilizers, as has been done with other animal remains.]
 ## Those that they found were wrapped in bandages and mummified, including some with a resin applied. One shouldn-t imagine an ornate King Tut, though: They were likely stacked on top of each other and *survived very badly,* Nicholson said. *It would be quite difficult to easily find complete, nicely wrapped mummies,* he added. *What you have got is the decayed remains of the mummies.* To estimate how many there are, the team took a sample and extrapolated from there how many likely filled up the catacomb. One reason the number is so high is because many of the animals were very small, while there some were mature and likely had full lives, Nicholson speculated that some were *being especially bred for the cult.* The catacombs are believed to date from between roughly 750 to 30 B.C., up to the time Egypt-s society was interacting more and more with those of Europe, including ancient Greece and Rome. A summary of the Cardiff team-s findings was published this week in the journal Antiquity. Nicholson and his co authors, Salima Ikram and Steve Mills, are now working on a more complete study. And the work continues at the Saqqara site, which includes other animal catacombs and many monuments like the step pyramid of Djoser, as well as in laboratories to discover more about the animal remains, such as patterns of sex and age. *We are very curious about where the animals came from,* Nicholson said. *We-re learning quite a bit about the Egyptians interactions with animals. It-s an exciting thing.*

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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Al Jazeera has urged Germany to immediately release its journalist Ahmed Mansour, who was detained at a Berlin airport at the request of the Egyptian authorities. Mansour, a senior Al Jazeera Arabic TV journalist, was arrested at Berlin's Tegel airport at 13:20 GMT on Saturday as he tried to board a Qatar Airways flight from Berlin to Doha.The crackdown on journalists by Egyptian authorities is well known. Our network, as the Arab world's most-watched, has taken the brunt of this. Other countries must not allow themselves to be tools of this media oppression, least of all those that respect freedom of the media as does Germany," Acting Director General of Al Jazeera network Mostefa Souag said. "Ahmed Mansour is one of the Arab world's most respected journalists and must be released immediately." In a phone call, Mansour told Al Jazeera that he would remain in custody until Monday when he will face a German judge who will decide on his case. Mansour was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by Cairo's criminal court in 2014 on the charge of torturing a lawyer in Tahrir Square in 2011. He denied the charges. And in October last year, Interpol rejected Egypt's request for an international arrest warrant against him. Al Jazeera dismissed the accusation as a flimsy attempt at character assassination against of one of its leading journalists. Terrorise Al Jazeera journalists‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ The arrest of Mansour comes two weeks after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Germany. Sisi has largely suppressed dissent in Egypt. Thousands of activists and political opponents have been arrested, prosecuted and in some cases sentenced to death since former President Mohamed Morsi was deposed two years ago. Mansour's lawyer, Saad Djebbar, told Al Jazeera that his client's arrest was politically motivated. "This is a ploy to terrorise Al Jazeera journalists and paralyse Al Jazeera from doing its work." Mansour’s lawyer explains detention in Germany Three Al Jazeera English journalists were wrongly accused of colluding with the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Peter Greste was deported in February after 400 days in detention, while two of his colleagues, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy, face a retrial. From Al Jazeera's Ahmed Mansour I am now in detention in Berlin airport in Germany as I was heading back to Doha. The airport authorities detained me based on an Interpol order at the request of the Egyptian authorities. I informed [ the police] that the global police organisation has rejected Egypt's request and that I have this document from the Interpol to prove that I am not wanted in any charge. Ahmed Mansour [Al Jazeera] I also told them that all the cases that were filed against me in Egypt were fabricated. They, however, insisted on holding me in their detention centre for investigation. They told me that they will transfer me to face an investigating judge, who will determine my case. I refused to sign the detention request until I speak to my lawyer who just got here. We hope that this misunderstanding will be resolved quickly. It is quite ludicrous that a country like Germany would enforce and support such a request made by a dictatorial regime like the one ‘’Click &Close Ads’’

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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Nemanja Maksimovic scored an 118th-minute goal on the counterattack to give Serbia a 2-1 victory over Brazil in extra time in the Under-20 World Cup final at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday. The game had been locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Stanisa Mandic giving Serbia hope of their first title as an independent nation with 20 minutes remaining but Andreas Pereira equalised three minutes later. Brazil’s Neymar will miss rest of Copa América with four-match ban Read more Heavy rain and strong cold winds had pounded New Zealand for the past three days and while fans were soaked during the earlier match for third place, the rain had stopped by the time the sold-out final kicked off. Brazil had the best clearcut chances in the first half, with Jean Carlos and Gabriel producing two top-class saves from the Serbia captain, Predrag Rajkovic. His team-mate in midfield Sergej Milankovic was unlucky not to score in the second minute of added time in the first half when his header from a corner was well saved by Jean. ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ The Brazil goalkeeper, who had not conceded a goal since the eighth minute of their second group game against Hungary, was finally beaten when an unmarked Stanisa Mandic stroked the ball home in the 70th minute to end the streak at 571 minutes. Brazil, however, did not have to wait long for an equaliser, with Manchester United’s Pereira jinking his way past four defenders to level the match three minutes later for an excellent individual goal. Pereira had only come on as a 65th-minute substitute for a visibly incensed Boschilia, who calmed down when his team-mate shot past Rajkovic’s outstretched left hand. Rajkovic produced another world-class save late in extra time, before his team-mates swept down field and Maksimovic was left one on one with Jean and he calmly slotted home to end Brazil’s hopes of a sixth world title.In the earlier match for third place, Adama Traoré produced two sensational long-range strikes to help Mali beat 10-man Senegal 3-1, first equalising with a curling left-footed free-kick in the 74th minute, 10 minutes after Senegal’s Ibrahima Wadji had opened the scoring. Traoré then blasted a right-foot shot past Ibrahima Sy before Diadie Samassekou completed the victory when he scored in added time. Sy and his Mali counterpart Djigui Diarra both saved penalties in the final 15 minutes. The Senegal defender Moussa Ba had been sent off in the final minute of the first half by the Egyptian referee, Ghead Grisha, for his second yellow card. ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ A year after the establishment of the so-called caliphate by Islamic State, western governments are struggling for strategies to challenge sympathy among their citizens towards the militants. Foreigners continue to migrate to the territory in spite of substantial military, security and PR efforts and after Isis’s widely publicised military defeats in recent months. And last week the process took a sinister new turn: three British sisters from Bradford left their husbands and travelled to Syria, taking with them their nine children, to live under Isis. Seven hundred Britons are now estimated to have made the difficult, dangerous and, to many, incomprehensible journey. Such incidents are hard to anticipate and to deal with and they arguably help Isis to bolster its claims of legitimacy and relevance. A British official with a senior position in the effort to challenge the appeal of Isis to British Muslims told me that lessons were being drawn from the previous successes of al-Qaida. But this attitude, which is widespread, is one of the biggest mistakes officials and specialists make about the appeal of Isis. To apply knowledge about al-Qaida to understanding Isis is to build on previous failures – not least because al-Qaida still exists, though it is overshadowed by a more successful organisation. But more significantly, Isis bears greater resemblance to populist Islamist movements than to al-Qaida, notwithstanding their ideological proximity. Whereas al-Qaida is elitist and detached from ordinary Muslims, Isis tends to be more vernacular in the way it addresses its audience and their grievances and aspirations. It also appeals to a far wider demographic than those willing to join or publicly support its cause. David Cameron said as much on Friday when he warned of the dangers posed by members of communities and families that “quietly condone” the ideology of Isis. Since the group’s rise last year, I have talked to dozens of members in Syria and Iraq. What emerges strongly is the expressed belief of many that Isis can be persuasive, liberating and empowering. Some members I interviewed echoed recent statements by British Muslims who joined the group. One of those is Abdelaziz Kuwan, a Bahraini teenager who rose through the Isis ranks to become a security official in charge of three towns in eastern Syria. I spoke to him over many months before he was shot dead in October 2014. In one conversation, he said: “I walk in the streets [of Bahrain] and I feel imprisoned. I feel tied up … This world means nothing to me. I want to be free.” His statement is eerily reminiscent of what Mohammed Emwazi, the Kuwaiti-born British national better known as “Jihadi John”, once wrote in an email: “I feel like a prisoner, only not in a cage, in London.” Advertisement The families of both Kuwan and Emwazi reported being made to feel strangers in their own countries. Kuwan’s family migrated from Syria to Bahrain in the 1980s and Emwazi’s family reportedly belonged to a category of stateless migrants in Kuwait known as bidoun (without).‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ No family members of Isis militants said that a person’s decision to join the group was logical or consistent with how they had previously led their lives. Many had been quiet, insulated from a wider society towards which they bore resentment. At least three who had travelled to the territory mentioned the Arabic word haiba (charisma or prestige) to describe Isis as they described their motives for joining. But it was the overwhelming sense of “imprisonment” that people said they experienced before joining Isis that recurred in my interviews. Even if potential recruits have only a vague notion of how Isis operates, the group still offers them a chance to join the armed struggle. In the process of recruitment, ideology becomes an instrumental supporting factor in drawing in and retaining recruits even if the reality in Syria and Iraq does not meet their expectations. Members feel empowered not only by the fighting capabilities of the group but by its ideology, which provides them with tools and zeal to argue back against even the most learned of Muslim clerics, whom Isis labels as distorters of Islam’s authentic message. “When you listen to the clerics of [Isis],” said Mothanna Abdulsattar, an Isis member who joined after he was captured by the group for working with the Free Syrian Army before Isis took over his area, “you are shocked that most of our Islamic societies have deviated from the true religion. They follow a religion that was invented two decades ago, or less.” This latter statement is particularly relevant in western societies. Extremist ideologues often argue that an Islam that preaches peace and harmony was invented and promoted by the state. They ridicule it as “British Islam” or “American Islam”. Such arguments gain currency in communities that distrust their religious and political leaders, and make individuals living in such communities suspicious and less accepting of moderate views. In both the Middle East and the west, religious leaders have been reluctant to speak loudly and consistently against Isis, often for fear of being labelled as stooges to their governments.Women who join Isis, such as the Bradford sisters, are driven by similar sentiments. Women feel empowered by Isis, including in relation to their family members. In Syria and Iraq, Isis controls conservative, tribal societies, which means most of its public rulings tend to affect men more than women. Men are banned from smoking cigarettes or shisha and playing cards. If a woman is found violating the Isis dress code, her husband or father would be punished, not her. In tribal societies, women are also traditionally not allowed to share inheritance, but Isis has reversed that if the case is reported. Women have used such practices and rulings to report their husbands to Isis members and even win a divorce. Although these practices are not widely reported by the media, it is likely that those who go to join Isis would have been briefed about them. In the same way that Isis offers a chance for teenagers and non-conformists to rebel against their communities and families, it also offers the same for women. Last week, a source living in a Gulf country said his sister, who lives in an Isis territory, said she threatened to leave everything behind, including her husband, and fight with Isis. “I told her that they would get her divorced from her husband and would marry her off to one of them,” he said. “She laughed and said they would not do such a thing.” ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ There are a myriad of factors that lead people to join or sympathise with Isis, both ideological and pragmatic. Some factors can weaken with time or if an alternative is provided to match the group’s appeal. However, factors that lead families to migrate to a conflict zone in groups must compel governments to look for deeper issues in their societies. These dynamics are more lasting and have little to do with whether the group endures, because the underlying issues remain. The group generally offers an alternative for the politically repressed and the socially estranged. Foreigners are generally driven by a need to belong, to be empowered and to seek retribution against something or someone, whether a system, a government or a family. Deep and abiding identity crises among Muslims are often exacerbated and shaped in isolated communities that governments, including in the UK, fail to address. Hassan Hassan is associate fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme and a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, in Washington. He is co-author of Isis: Inside the Army of Terror. ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Defense Secretary Ash Carter will urge Nato allies to “dispose of the cold war playbook” during a trip to Europe this week, as the alliance adapts to a new kind of threat from Russia in the east and Islamic State to the south, US officials said. Carter heads first to Berlin, where he is expected to call for a more muscular global security role from Germany, Europe’s largest economy. Germany remains hesitant to deploy troops abroad, seven decades after the end of the second world war. “He will encourage Germany, under the firm leadership of the minister of defense, to increase their security role in the world, commensurate with their political and economic weight,” a senior US defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Relations between Moscow and the West have plunged to a post-cold war low since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region. Nato says Russian is still actively providing military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, despite Moscow’s denials. US officials say Ukraine has illustrated the importance of being able to counter “hybrid warfare” the blend of unidentified troops, propaganda and economic pressure that the west says Russia has used there. Nato’s historic focus had been the conventional threats of the cold war, which ended in 1991. “Carter … will really push the alliance to think about new threats, new techniques, urge them to kind of dispose of the Cold War playbook and think about new ways to counter new threats,” the official said. ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ In visits in Germany and then in Estonia, Carter will get a first-hand look at Nato’s new rapid response forces and climb aboard a US warship fresh from Baltic Sea drills, aiming to reassure allies unnerved by Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. Advertisement Carter will likely offer details on plans to pre-position heavy military equipment in Europe, the official said. All of the moves been decried by Moscow, which has threatened to beef up its own forces and to add more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal this year. Apart from Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Nato officials say the rise of Islamic State and other militants in North Africa and the Middle East has also dramatically changed Nato’s security environment. Nato defense chiefs meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels are expected to discuss plans to create an alliance role in Iraq aimed at strengthening Iraq’s institutions. A plan could be approved in July, the US official said.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ In response to mounting criticism of her decision to snub Apple Music, Taylor Swift has posted a letter explaining her boycott on Sunday. She writes Apple Music's decision to not pay musicians any royalties for its three-month free trial period is "shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company." She says her not being part of Apple Music isn't just about her — it's about protecting new artists "who will not be paid for its success," she writes. She continues: "Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right." Last week, it was reported that Swift has decided not to put her "1989" album on Apple Music, in response to the streaming service's decision not to pay royalties during its three-month trial period. She also removed "1989" from Spotify's service last year as well. Apple plans to pay music owners 71.5% of Apple Music’s subscription revenue after the trial period, Recode reports. Robert Kondrk, one of the Apple executives who negotiates music deals, explained to Recode that "Apple’s payouts are a few percentage points higher than the industry standard, in part to account for the lengthy trial period; most paid subscription services offer a free one-month trial." Here's the full letter: I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music. I feel this deserves an explanation because Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans. I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries. I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs. These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call. I realize that Apple is working towards a goal of paid streaming. I think that is beautiful progress. We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period… even if it is free for the fans trying it out. Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right. But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Not many contemporary artists would risk measuring themselves up against Renaissance polymaths, yet Kanye West has compared himself to Leonardo da Vinci as he prepares for his headline set at Glastonbury.The 38-year-old US rapper, nicknamed Yeezy, who has in the past likened himself to Pablo Picasso, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Andy Warhol, Shakespeare and even Jesus, said he defies convention and, in the past 12 years, has fought, bought and spat his way out of being boxed in to a certain genre. Like Renaissance thinkers such as Michelangelo, Galileo and da Vinci, West said, he resists strict categorisation. The Gold Digger star told the Sunday Times Culture magazine: “Imagine if da Vinci or Michelangelo or Galileo were asked not to think of anything except for the one thing they first became famous for. “So da Vinci could only have one idea. For all haters, I’m not saying I’m da Vinci, but I feel it’s right for any human being to compare themselves to anything.” Glastonbury: Kanye West booking prompts death threats for organiser‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Read more He said critics get uptight about the comparisons he makes of himself, adding: “I’m an extreme speaker, and I speak through comparisons.” A producer-entrepreneur worth $30m, West has branched out of music to become a fashion designer and is one of America’s most divisive stars. More than 130,000 people have signed a petition calling for him to be dropped from the bill at Glastonbury, which he is due to headline on Saturday, branding his music an “injustice”. The Yeezus producer is to follow in the footsteps of his close friend and long-time collaborator Jay Z, and the latter’s wife, Beyoncé, in topping the festival playlist. Kanye’s seventh album, originally titled So Help Me God and later changed to SWISH, is to be released this autumn.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Episode 613 of the WTF podcast will be its biggest yet, as host Marc Maron interviewed President Barack Obama in his garage. The president spoke to Maron for an hour in the podcaster’s home In East Los Angeles – not far from Obama’s first college, Occidental – just like any regular visitor to the podcast. There were no guidelines or restrictions on Maron, who was able to ask anything and has final edit over the conversation. “If I thought to myself that when I was in college that I would be in a garage a couple miles away from where I was living, doing an interview as president with a comedian – it’s not possible to imagine,” Obama said. The interview, aptly titled “WTF Summit,” will be available Monday – completely commercial-free courtesy of Squarespace.com – on the WTF website, iTunes, and the WTF with Marc Maron app Catch the preview clip here and read one for a discussion with Maron about the interview. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was it like having the President in your garage? MARC MARON: It was crazy, man: I had the president in my garage! I was on vacation in Hawaii three days ago up to Wednesday night. My producer, Brendan McDonald, had flown out from Brooklyn to meet with the Secret Service starting on Monday. I got home Wednesday night, then that tragedy happened in Charleston, South Carolina, and we were like, “It’s probably not going to happen now, and that’s understandable.” We waited until the next day, and he made his statement, and it seemed like he was coming. We still weren’t sure, but they were still tenting the driveway, so when he drove, he could walk up undercover with no sightline. It was just crazy, dude.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Then all of a sudden, everything converged. There were Secret Service agents all over the place. The Los Angeles Police were here, all of them very polite and gracious and helpful. They had the bomb-sniffing dog in the house; I had to hide my cats. Eventually, we heard the helicopters above, and then he showed up. They told me to wait at the end of driveway in front of my garage. His staff walked up with him and Secret Service; it was quite a bunch of people. And he said, “Marc, how’re you doing?” He was very social and friendly and put me ease. We walked into the garage, I told him where to sit, and we did it. Did the cats realize the magnitude of this moment? I’d like to believe they did, but I think they were like, “Oh, great. Now we can’t be in our own house?” How did you go about preparing for the interview? I read Dreams from My Father, his first book, while I was in Hawaii. I’m not really in the political world anymore [Maron used to host a show on Air America radio], and I shamefully don’t follow that intensely, so I felt a little bit out of the loop with that. When I got back into town, I had read the book, I had made notes, and that’s really how I would prepare. I needed to know who he was as a young man and how he thought. He has a certain sense of poetry, and this is a Barack Obama previous to presidential aspirations and just trying to reckon with who he was. That was a very helpful window into who that guy was. When I sat down with Brendan, we went over policy a little bit. We went over his accomplishments and how to be respectful; I wanted to be respectful of his accomplishments. I also wanted to know how he’s changed. I talked with Brendan and loaded up with my head with stuff and figure out some areas that I thought would be compelling and try to get to him.Just how he approaches his job and his life psychologically, given the obstacles and amount of slander and shame and demonization that he’s had to put up with – just like I think any president puts up with from one side or the other – and having a Congress that was proud to not work with him at all on anything. In the face of all these obstacles, he doesn’t seem to possess the capacity to be consumed by disappointment. He basically said that if he feels that there’s any incremental progress in what he did in making America a better place, that he’s doing his job. It’s not about huge leaps and bounds. Democracy works incrementally, and he’s looking at the long game in a sense that he’s not going to be bogged down by anything. He’s going to figure out a way to make progress despite whatever obstacles there are. He said that with a very clear mind, clear heart, that that’s the way he sees the world, and that’s pretty impressive. How did the interview come about? We got this call a month ago. There was a fan within the ranks over there, and they thought it would be a good thing for him to do. They brought it up to us, and we’re like, “Yeah, sure. I could talk to the president.” [Laughs] I just thought it’s crazy, and there’s no way that’s going to happen. They’d check every so often, “Yeah, we’re still trying to make this happen.” “Yeah, okay, sure.” Then it became more concrete: “We’re definitely going to do this, he’ll be in L.A. at this time.” I don’t even think we knew it was going to be “L.A. at this time:” It was like “whatever he wants to do.” Then I’m like, “All right, so what does that mean? Where do I got to go? Am I going to Washington? Do I meet him in a hotel? What’s happening?” Brendan, who was in touch with them the whole time, said, “No, he wants to do it in the garage.” I’m like, “Oh that’s just crazy. That doesn’t happen in real life: The president doesn’t come to my garage in real life.” Then it picked up like that: They were going to make that happen. I never thought I would get to talk to the President. It wasn’t really my beat, politics. You hadn’t ever put in a request to speak with him? ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ No. Beside the whole Secret Service presence, how was it different from a typical WTF interview? He’s the President. Well, yeah. But really, there’s very few things he hasn’t publicly spoken to. Whatever his private private life is, I don’t know how to get in there or what that is. The best you can hope for is that he’s given you a new take on something, or you get something that he hasn’t talked about ever. But he’s talked about a lot of things at a very profound and prolific public narrative about almost part of his life. So how it’s different is it’s not just a laid-back conversation, as much as that he may have wanted that to be or thought that was the vibe that was going to happen. How do you just have a laid-back conversation with the president, and how do you not talk about politics a bit? It was sort of tricky; it was different in every way. There was a respect afforded to the president, from my point of view. It was a lot different than any other one I had one.He’s just a guy. I was just hoping that it would be a guy sitting across from me, that at some point I’d go, “He’s the president, but I need him to be just a man, just a dude.” And he was like that very quickly. Maybe that’s how good he is, and maybe that’s really what I was experiencing. But then he disarmed me very quickly – I don’t know if I disarmed him – but I felt comfortable with him. I felt like I was talking to a real person – very gracious and thoughtful – but you see his face, and you see his skin and shake his hand, touch his shoulder. He felt like a real person to me. I felt like he was genuine and connected. That was surprising to me. Was there something he did or said that disarmed you? Or was it gradual? We started off pretty quickly and rambling and talking about the garage, then I needed to bring up the tragedy and shootings on Wednesday in order to put the time and context. He took a different tone completely, and I wasn’t sure how we’d get out of the one or necessarily where that goes. It was a risk, but I felt it was necessary. I just saw that there was a different capacity for him to operate at different emotional levels and different levels of connection in one conversation. There wasn’t any shift. But toward the end, it got immediately thoughtful around his family and his life, and also the idea of how do you compartmentalize as president mentally and emotionally to carry what you’re carrying everyday. We had a nice conversation and connected that to comedy and work, and fear vs. fearlessness. It got very interesting at the end in way that was more candid. What were some of the topics you guys discussed?‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ We talked about everything. We talked about, toward the end, comedy. We talked about having done a job for a long time. We talked about fears dissipating and becoming truly fearless in what you do. We talked a bit about his father, about his wife, about his kids. We talked about race. We talked about guns. We talked about his struggle, the reality of this presidency being played out against a non-cooperative Congress. We talked a little bit about his past and living in this neighborhood and about his own racial identity. We covered about most of the topics. We talked about criticism and living with criticism, about things he learned from being president. There’s a lot there. Was there a question you wanted to ask but didn’t for any reason? Sure. There was a lot more casual conversation I would have liked to have had, but we only had a certain amount of time, and it went a lot of different directions. I think if I had another hour, we probably could have talked more about comedy and about dealing day to do. But it’s all in there. What did he say about comedy? Did he name favorite comedians or shows? He said he liked Richard Pryor a lot, and Dick Gregory. He thought Jerry Seinfeld was doing something interesting. He said he liked Louis C.K., even though Louis can be a little crass. Just a little bit about that at the end. Did you get a sense he was a listener of WTF? I know he had listened to some to prepare. You just interviewed the president. Where do you go from here?‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ I have a lot of different conversations with a lot of different people. This is a very specific and unorthodox conversation for me to have. Now, hopefully it will make people that generally maybe wouldn’t talk to me want to talk to me more. But I go back to doing what I do and taking this all in and being grateful and humbled and excited by this once-in-a-lifetime thing that happened to me. I’m glad I can share it with other people, but it’s pretty amazing. Just meeting the president is amazing.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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‘’Click &Close Ads’’ Neymar's participation in the South American footballing showpiece came to an abrupt end after a disciplinary hearing slapped him with a four-match ban for headbutting a Colombian opponent. The punishment deprives the tournament of one of its most recognizable stars and leaves Brazil in turmoil as they contemplate the remainder of the tournament without their star captain. Neymar's fate had been in the balance after he was given a red card for headbutting an opponent during a post-match brawl that erupted after Brazil's 1-0 upset loss to Colombia in Group C on Wednesday. ‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ The 23-year-old superstar was already ruled out of Brazil's final group game against Venezuela on Sunday after collecting a second yellow card of the tournament against the Colombians. Neymar, who was also fined $10,000, can appeal the punishment. But unless the ban is reduced it means he has played his last game of the Copa, with Brazil having at most four games left. Neymar's shock early departure marks a stunning fall from grace for the young forward, who had been carrying his nation's hopes as they chased a first Copa America crown since 2007. Aranguiz grabbed his second of the evening at 66 minutes, finishing off a low cross from Angelo Henriquez. Medel made it 4-0 with a superb individual effort in the 80th minute, playing a one-two with Jorge Valdivia, controlling on his chest and then lifting a chipped finish over Quinonez. Bolivia's misery was complete when skipper Raldes chipped his goalkeeper for a freak own goal to make it 5-0.Selecționata de fotbal a Braziliei, cvintuplă campioană mondială, nu va mai putea conta la actuala ediție a turneului Copa America pe serviciile căpitanului și golgheterului său, Neymar da Silva, care a primit o suspendare de patru meciuri, după ce a văzut cartonașul roșu la finalul meciului cu naționala Columbiei, disputat miercuri, potrivit Agerpres. Starul Selecao a fost sancționat atât de dur în urma unei altercații pe care a avut-o cu mai mulți jucători din naționala Cafetera, în cursul căreia i-a aplicat o lovitură cu capul unuia dintre aceștia, Jeison Murillo, după care brazilianul a insultat un oficial, pe culoarul de la vestiare, a explicat Alberto Lozada, membru al comisiei de disciplină care a dictat sancțiunea.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
‘’Click &Close Ads’’ "Cel mai grav lucru a fost că el a așteptat arbitrul pe culoar, pentru a-l insulta, ceea de a agravat cazul său și a condus la o sancțiune mai dură. Este un act agresiv, care cerea o pedeapsă pe măsură", a explicat Lozada. Pe lângă această suspendare, atacantul Braziliei și al lui FC Barcelona va fi obligat să plătească și o amendă de 10.000 dolari.‘’Click &Close Ads’’
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