Blackstar announcement
Bowie announces the release of Blackstar, a seven-song album on January 8, his 69th birthday. The album, which Bowie recorded with a group of jazz musicians at New York’s Magic Shop, is reportedly in the vein of avant-garde jazz, containing “Gregorian chants, a soul section, various electronic beats and bleeps, and Bowie’s distinctive vocal.” Bowie says he will not provide a radio edit for its lead single.
Protests police brutality
Tarantino joins hundreds of demonstrators to protest police brutality nationwide.
I’m a human being with a conscience, and if you believe there’s murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I’m here to say I’m on the side of the murdered.
The event is the last of three demonstrations the group RiseUpOctober organized in New York this week. Speakers at the protest say they want justice for people killed by police.
Lawyer: May have mental illness
Chambers’ attorney says she may be suffering from a mental illness, saying that there were warning signs from her behavior before the crash, including an inability to sleep. He also says that she did not smell of alcohol when he met her hours after the crash, and that that he had spoken to her aunt, grandmother and boyfriend and all had said she was not drinking. He says Chambers only recalls people removing her from the car and being extremely confused. Police are waiting on the result of blood tests.
I absolutely can rule out alcohol…She doesn’t remember a whole lot about what happened. There was a period where I think … she could have even blacked out.
Says Bieber will perform at her show
DeGeneres says Bieber will perform at an outdoor concert at her show in Los Angeles.
Big news: @JustinBieber is doing an outdoor concert on my show. Bigger news: You just got a chance to be here for it https://t.co/sSSeJw7zCm
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) October 26, 2015
Explains appeal
Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Jarvis explains Rossi’s appeal.
Our job as a team is to protect the interests of our riders, so while we cannot deny that Valentino’s move is not the sort of move that we want to see in MotoGP, at the same time we feel the penalty is quite harsh, especially when Valentino is not normally a dirty rider. He’s not a rider that creates issues or problems for other people. As a team, we appealed to the FIM and the first decision of the race control. They heard him, also consulted race direction, consulted Marc Marquez and Honda, and finally after a period of 45 minutes we have the results of the appeal, which was rejected. The original penalty of three points against Valentino stands, and in the process of appealing, if the FIM steward rejects your appeal and agrees with the original decision, it is no longer appealable – it becomes final. It’s case closed. That means now that Valentino Rossi will go to Valencia with this penalty.
If anything, knowing him [Rossi], this will probably make him more motivated to come back and to try to do another memorable season like this. And the championship isn’t over – you have to keep that in mind. He has a seven-point lead, and while he’s at a massive disadvantage starting from the back, in racing anything can happen. You never know if he can salvage something. Anything can happen.
Comments on penalty
Rossi comments on his penalty to the Italian media.
The sanction is almost definitive: to start last in Valencia equals not having any chance of making it. This way the championship is distorted. I gave everything to win this title. Losing it on track is one thing, this way hurts a lot more. Should it help, Marquez would let Lorenzo through on the last lap [at Valencia].
He also says he may not race at Valencia, but that comment is played down by Yamaha.
Family defends
Chambers’ father defends her.
Adacia is a kind, loving, caring person, and she wouldn’t have done this purposefully…I’m not going to believe that [she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol] until they show me proof. I know the little girl I raised wouldn’t have done something like this intentionally. I raised my kids to be Christian people and to keep family and God close to their heart. Our hearts go out to those victims. It is a terrible, terrible thing that this happened. I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody. And I can’t undo it
Her aunt:
This is not her character. She’s one that’ll give you big hug, and she’s one that if you’re down she’ll make you smile. That’s my Adacia. We don’t know what happened.
Live-in boyfriend, Jesse Gaylord says Chambers had trouble sleeping.
For her to purposefully go and do something like that would just not be possible. She’s one of the kindest, [most] soft-spoken people you’ll ever meet…There’s no way she was drunk or impaired. She’s just not that kind of person…She’s honestly one of the most cautious drivers that I’ve ever ridden with. She doesn’t run yellow lights.
Criticizes Perry
In the documentary Brand: The Second Coming, Brand says his relationship with Perry started to break down following a 2010 visit to Africa for Comic Relief.
The stuff in Africa hit me really hard. I’m associated with the very thing I detest: vapid, vacuous, plastic, constructed, mindless celebrity…That’s the very sea we’re swimming in, ‘Oh, who’s he? He’s married to Katy Perry’.
Brand’s close friend Noel Gallagher recounts the moment he knew the pair were destined for divorce.
[Russell] calls me up once and says, ‘What happens when she wants to watch a film and I want to watch another film? It’s doing my head in!’. And I was like, ‘Just let her watch the f*****g film.’ I knew at that point this ain’t gonna go much further.
Announces retirement
Wambach announces that she will retire at the end of 2015 once all the World Cup victory tour matches have been played. Her final game will be on Dec. 16 against China in New Orleans.
After much deliberation and talking with my friends, family, teammates and our coaching staff, I’ve decided to finally bring my soccer career to an end. While we still have more work to do for women’s soccer, after bringing the World Cup back to the United States this summer, I’m feeling extremely optimistic about the future of our sport. It’s been an amazing, wonderful ride and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter of my life brings.
Nothing made me prouder than to wear the red, white and blue. Thank you for sending your thoughts and kind words. pic.twitter.com/0Sj1YgVsKm
— Abby Wambach (@AbbyWambach) October 27, 2015
Post-Hamlet anti-government speech
Cumberbatch tells a London Hamlet audience to ‘f-ck the politicians’ amid criticism of ministers over their handling of the migration crisis in Europe. He has been giving nightly speeches after his curtain call, reading a poem called Home by Somali poet Warsan Shire, which includes the line:
No one puts children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land
He urges theatregoers to donate money to Save the Children which helps Syrian refugees, raising more than £150,000. Cumberbatch tells theatregoers of a friend’s experience volunteering on the Greek island of Lesbos, where 5,000 people had been arriving every day.
Everywhere on the horizon there was nothing but boats and on the shoreline nothing but lifejackets. We are saying, as citizens of the world, we see you … and at least some help is coming.
Will race in Valencia
Rossi tweets that he will race in Valencia.
Reading all your messages has allowed me to overcome my bitterness and anger and today, we’ll be starting work on Valencia! Thanks for all your support.
Grazie a tutti per il fantastico supporto,leggervi mi ha aiutato a superare amarezza e incazzatura.
Da oggi si lavora per Valencia.— Valentino Rossi (@ValeYellow46) October 27, 2015
Sanctions will lifted year end
During a ceremony to welcome the new Spanish ambassador to Tehran. Rouhani says that sanctions will be lifted:
According to our plans, the oppressive sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran will be lifted by the end of 2015.
Viral photo prompts homeless Q&A
Gere writes on Jena Malone’s Facebook page, about a viral image of him as a homeless man that is circulating on Facebook:
Hi, Richard Gere here. I was completely surprised to find that last week someone posted a photo of me on a Facebook fan page as a homeless man on the streets of New York that drew 1.6 million likes and over a half-a-million shares. While the story that accompanied the photograph was somewhat fictional, it seemed to have touched something important in people. I’d like to find out what that is and what we can do together to make something good and meaningful happen for our homeless brothers and sisters.
Gere says he will Q&A via Malone’s Facebook page on Oct 29 at 11 a.m. ET.
I’d like you to join me for a conversation on the issue of homelessness and how it impacts your lives…we’re excited to see what happens.
Comments on disputed island sail-by
After months of internal debate, the White House permits the Defense Department to sail one ship near a reef in the South China Sea that China claims. Carter says the U.S. has the right to operate near the Chinese structures.
What you read in the newspaper is accurate, but I don’t want to say when, whether or how we operate anywhere in the world. These are operations that we should be conducting normally.
Bigbang MADE tour video release
Dramafever.com will release the full Bigbang MADE concert tour exclusively on their website on November 11. The tour visited various countries, including the USA and Canada.
The ability for music to cross barriers and transcend culture is undeniable. It’s one of the reasons K-pop has become a global phenomenon. As one of the biggest and most unique acts, BIGBANG has set itself apart as the vanguard of the genre. This is why the BIGBANG MADE 2015 Concert is our first foray into original programming. It’s clear from our internal metrics that our core audience of multicultural millennials are rabid fans of K-pop.
CNBC ‘should be ashamed’
Priebus criticizes CNBC for how it handled the moderators and the overall proceedings for the Republican debate.
CNBC should be ashamed of how this debate was handled. While I was proud of our candidates and the way they handled tonight’s debate, the performance by the CNBC moderators was extremely disappointing and did a disservice to their network, our candidates, and voters. Our diverse field of talented and exceptionally qualified candidates did their best to share ideas for how to reinvigorate the economy and put Americans back to work despite deeply unfortunate questioning from CNBC.
CNBC debate will be ‘unfair’
Trump says that he thinks the upcoming CNBC debate will be unfair.
After a great evening and packed auditorium in Iowa, I am now in Colorado looking forward to what I am sure will be a very unfair debate!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 28, 2015
Improves ‘real names’ policy
In a letter sent to organizations, Facebook says it is testing ways to improve its ‘real names’ policy, with changes coming in December.
Facebook users do not have to use their real names, but must use the name that they use in real-life. Some organizations fear that some users, including domestic abuse victims and those in the LGBT community, may face harassment if forced to use their legal name. Those looking to confirm their identity, without government-issued IDs, for instance, will have space to explain their situation to Facebook and, those looking to report users they think are using an improper identity, are being asked for evidence.
We want to reduce the number of people and to make it easier for people to confirm their name if necessary… It’s a balance to get this right — we want to find a line that minimizes bullying but maximises the potential for people to be their authentic selves on Facebook.
Unveils plan to reform Veterans Affairs
Calling the Department of Veterans Affairs ‘a total disaster,’ Trump unveils his plan to reform Veterans Affairs health care at a rally in Norfolk, Virginia.
He calls for all eligible veterans eligible for health care at VA hospitals to be allowed the same care at any hospital that accepts Medicare. He says this would increase competition and decrease wait times. He also calls for ‘firing the corrupt and incompetent VA executives’, claiming his plan would end all waste, fraud and abuse. For returning veterans, Trump pledges to increase job training and to incentivize companies to hire them.
Under this plan, we’ll ensure the VA is spending its dollars wisely, not corruptly. I believe a lot of it’s corruption, personally. Nobody can be that incompetent… The Trump plan will clean up VA finances so the current VA budget provides more and better care than it does now. We’ll have money actually left over.
Trump also addresses how he would increase support to female veterans with all VA hospitals permanently staffed with an obstetrician.
‘Very serious’ about nurse violence
Flynn comments on The Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada report that says that between 2008 and 2013 there were more than 4,000 reported incidents of workplace violence against Canada’s registered nurses and licensed practical nurses that were serious enough to prevent them going to work. The Board says this is more than police officers and firefighters combined. Flynn says the province has launched a three-year inspection program, with the goal of bringing every hospital into compliance.
I think there was that cultural part of this that we’re trying to overcome, that if you became a nurse you…would be asked to go into a violent situation and there was potential for you getting hurt and that was OK. Obviously, it’s completely unacceptable. The law clearly allows us to lay charges (against hospitals) and we will lay charges where it’s necessary. We’re very, very serious about this. There has to be a consequence to not doing the right thing or to be told to do the right thing and deciding that you’re not going to.