Arts

President Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday plans to demolish a culture center in Istanbul named after the founder of modern secular Turkey, in a move critics see as another attempt by the Islamist-rooted ruling party to roll back secularism.

It marks Erdogan’s second attempt to tear down the Ataturk Culture Center (AKM), named after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, after a previous plan to develop the site near Taksim Square in 2013 erupted into mass protests against Turkey’s ruling AK Party.

The project envisages building an opera house, theatre hall, a conference center and cinema on the site, near Gezi Park, the epicenter of the 2013 protests. Four years ago Erdogan had wanted to build a replica Ottoman baracks at the site.

“Today Turkey is starting something it should have done 10 years ago,” Erdogan said at a ceremony where he announced the project. He said the new building would be a “new and bigger” opera house, referring to it as “the New AKM Project.”

Erdogan, who served as mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, has long argued for the need to replace the AKM, saying the building is not resistant to earthquakes. The AKM has been closed to the public for the past 10 years over disagreements regarding its renovation and infrastructure.

Opponents, however, see the planned demolition as further proof that Erdogan, a pious Muslim, and his AK Party want to reverse the secular order established by Ataturk in the 1920s and to reduce the use of the state founder’s name and image in public life.

Turkey’s chamber of architects said in a statement on Friday that demolishing the AKM was “a crime” and a violation of the constitution.

“The countless warnings and criminal complaints we have filed to public offices over the years have not been processed and the law has been disregarded, the AKM has been intentionally abandoned to demolition,” the chamber said.

“We are warning once again: For years, there have been willing crimes committed against history, culture, arts, society and the people in front of the eyes of the world,” it said, without elaborating.

The new project, whose cost has not been disclosed, will increase the capacity of the building from 1,300 people to 2,500 people, the presidency said in a statement.

Separately, Erdogan said the project would also pave the way to pedestrianizing Taksim Square, one of the busiest hubs in Istanbul.
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Mariah Carey, the artist with the most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, is one of the nominees for the 2018 Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

Carey, who co-wrote 17 of her 18 No. 1s, earns her first nomination for the prestigious prize. The Songwriters Hall gave The Associated Press the list of nominees Monday, a day ahead of its official announcement.

 

Pioneering rap group N.W.A. also earned its first nomination for the Songwriters Hall, months after Jay-Z became the first rapper inducted into the organization as part of its 2017 class.

 

Other performing nominees for the 2018 class include John Mellencamp, Tracy Chapman, Alice Cooper, Jimmy Cliff, the Isley Brothers, Chrissie Hynde, Alan Jackson, Kool & the Gang, Tom Waits and Tom T. Hall.

 

Non-performing nominees are William “Mickey” Stevenson, Bill Anderson, Maurice Starr, Allee Willis, Steve Dorff, Mike Chapman, Randy Goodrum, Tony Macaulay, and Jermaine Dupri, who co-wrote some of Carey’s hits. Nominated songwriting duos include Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer, and L. Russell Brown and Irwin Levine, who died in 1997.

 

Six songwriters, or songwriting groups, will be officially inducted at a gala in New York on June 14. Eligible members can vote for three non-performing songwriters and three performing songwriters until Dec. 17.

 

Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years. Carey, whose hits include “We Belong Together” and “Hero,” released her self-titled debut album in 1990. N.W.A., including Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella, had massive success with the 2015 biopic “Straight Outta Compton.” Their debut album of the same name was released in 1988.
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Highway 20 took national parks traveler Mikah Meyer through North Cascades National Park in Washington state, offering him breathtaking views of the mountains.

“I had heard that the mountains were rugged, but this is far more dramatic than I imagined,” he gushed.

He got a slightly different perspective on those majestic mountains from a boat on Lake Diablo, which Mikah compared to a popular American drink. “The water is so blue that it actually reminds me of a flavor of Gatorade called Glacier Freeze — it looks like I could just scoop my hand down and drink the water and it would taste just like that Gatorade.”

The American Alps

The turquoise water set against a backdrop of the towering peaks reminded him of another picturesque mountain range…

“A lot of locals call this park the Alps of the United States because it looks very similar to the Swiss Alps.”

But Mikah was surprised to learn that unlike the famous European range, the North Cascades is among the least visited of America’s 59 national parks… in part, he thinks, because it’s so remote.

“I was just really struck by the remoteness of this park, both in its visitation and its accessibility,” he said. “There’s not a lot of hotels there, there’s not a lot of roads that allow you to just drive up to the peak.” He described it more as a wilderness area, “not a park designed for the automobile visitor like so many other parks are.”

“If you want to get the good views, you’ve got to hike.”

Which is exactly what Mikah did, hiking up a harrowing, almost six kilometer (3.7 mile) long trail, much of which was covered in snow, even in the middle of summer.

“I can never get tired of this!”

While in Washington, Mikah, who’s more than halfway through his mission to visit all 417 national parks in the U.S., also checked out two of the states’ more popular peaks, this time from the air. Thanks to the generosity of Kenmore Air, Mikah got as close to them as he was ever going to get.

“Off in the distance, you see Mount Rainier National Park,” he remarked as he looked out the plane’s window. “A little closer to us is Spirit Lake, and in the foreground you can probably see steam coming out of an erupted Mount St. Helens.”

Mount St. Helens made headlines on May 18, 1980 — with what many consider the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history. The blast killed 57 people, and the mountain was left with a giant crater on its north side.

Mount Rainier, also an active volcano, is considered a Washington icon. It rises more than 4,390 meters (14,410 feet) above sea level, the highest point in the state. “It’s this massive behemoth of a snow-capped mountain and it kind of catches you off-guard and takes your breath away because it’s so huge and it’s so gorgeous that the images are just spectacular,” Mikah said.

The locals in Seattle, a short distance away, will commonly ask “is the mountain out today?” Mikah noted, explaining that they can see it from the city if it’s a clear day.

The mountain is “out” …

Mikah got lucky on all counts. It was a cloudless day, so he had clear, compelling images from a variety of perspectives… the air, water and even driving along the interstate.

“I could can see Mount Rainier from hours of drive away, and that’s when I think the mountain is most spectacular,” he said.

“I put on my social media a picture of the mountain that you can see as you’re just coming down the interstate and I said, ‘I don’t think I could ever get tired of this.’”

Mikah invites you to follow him on his epic journey by visiting him on his website MikahMeyer.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

 

 
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Leaked papers revealing investments in tax havens by the world’s wealthy suggest U2 frontman Bono used a company based in low-tax Malta to buy part of a shopping mall in Lithuania.

The Guardian newspaper says the “Paradise Papers” document trove reveals that the singer was an investor in Maltese company Nude Estates, which bought the Ausra shopping center in 2007.

Bono’s spokeswoman told the paper that the rocker, whose real name is Paul Hewson, was a “passive minority investor in Nude Estates Malta Ltd., a company that was legally registered in Malta until it was voluntarily wound up in 2015.”

The Irish band has faced past criticism over its tax arrangements.

In 2011 protesters inflated a giant balloon reading “U Pay Tax 2?” during U2’s set at the Glastonbury Festival.
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The U.S. Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, but some Americans gather on old battlefields to re-enact this historic era in great detail today. They buy uniforms, authentic weapons, gather food typical of that era and sleep in tents on their ancestors’ battlefields. These re-enactments come at a time when many Americans are debating the future of monuments to the losing Confederate side. VOA’s Anush Avetisyan visited camps set up by the recreated “armies” of both sides.
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They are among the most underprivileged children in Lebanon, and now their voices can soar. For several months, conductor and composer Salim Sahab auditioned youngsters, most of whom work, for a choir of 300. With Syrian and Palestinian refugees selected along with Lebanese children, hopes are that the unifying power of singing will help cross political and sectarian lines. Having performed the same feat in Egypt, Sahab plans to get them on the big stage. John Owens reports from Tripoli.
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Many organizations across the United States sponsor food drives, urging people to contribute canned and nonperishable food for families that are hungry or homeless. While most campaigns consist of a large box with a “Donate Here” sign, an annual design competition in New York City takes a more creative approach to fighting hunger. Faith Lapidus explains.
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Netflix said Friday night that Kevin Spacey will no longer be a part of House of Cards and it’s cutting all other ties with the actor after a series of allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

 

“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey,” the company said in a statement. 

 

Netflix said it will work with the show’s production company MRC to evaluate whether it will continue without him. 

 

The 58-year-old Spacey was nominated for best drama actor Emmy Awards during each of the show’s first five seasons, but never won. He played a ruthless politician who ascends to the presidency of the United States. Co-star Robin Wright is also a central player on the show, and it could conceivably continue with a focus on her. 

 

Production on the show was suspended Tuesday. 

Current, former co-workers complain

 

Netflix says it also will refuse to release the film Gore, in which Spacey stars as the writer Gore Vidal and also acted as producer. 

 

CNN reported that eight current or former House of Cards workers claim that Spacey made the production a “toxic” workplace and one ex-employee alleges the actor sexually assaulted him.

 

Spacey has not been arrested or charged with any crime. His publicist did not immediately return an email message late Friday night seeking comment. A publicist said earlier this week that Spacey is “taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment.”

 

Multiple accusations

The Academy Award-winning actor became ensnared in Hollywood’s fast-growing sexual harassment crisis after actor Anthony Rapp alleged Spacey made sexual advances toward him in 1986, when Rapp was 14. Spacey has said he doesn’t remember the alleged encounter reported by BuzzFeed News last weekend but apologized if such “drunken behavior” occurred.

 

The story spurred several others to come forward with similar allegations about Spacey. 

 

London police are reportedly investigating Spacey for a 2008 sexual assault, British media reported Friday.

 

Police did not identify Spacey by name but said the department’s child abuse and sexual offenses unit is investigating the reported assault after it was referred to police earlier this week.

 

Weinstein and others

Spacey is the latest high profile Hollywood figure to lose work and standing in a wave that began when dozens of sexual harassment allegations were reported last month against film mogul Harvey Weinstein. 

 

Weinstein is under investigation in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, London and New York for possible criminal cases after several women accused him of sexual assault or rape. 

 

Also Friday, Hamilton Fish, publisher of The New Republic, resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.

 

In a company memo shared with The Associated Press, magazine owner Win McCormack wrote that Fish’s resignation was effective immediately and that an internal investigation would continue. Fish, who joined The New Republic in 2016, had been placed on leave of absence last week. He is a former publisher of The Nation.

 

“As I understand it, some employees, to my deep dismay, complained this week that my presence had led them to feel uncomfortable at The New Republic,” Fish wrote to McCormack in a memo Friday that was also shared with the AP. “Women have longstanding and profound concerns with respect to their treatment in the workplace. Many men have a lot to learn in this regard. I know I do, and I hope for and encourage that new direction.”

 

Fish wrote in an email to the AP that he “felt the controversy swirling around us could cause irreparable harm to the magazine, and that the only way to protect The New Republic and its employees was for me to separate from the organization.” Noting his time with such organizations as The Nation, a prominent liberal publication, and with Human Rights Watch, he wrote that he had spent his career in “in progressive media and the human rights field.

 

Fish is among several figures in media and publishing that have stepped down or been fired in the wake of the Weinstein reports. 

 

Others include author and former NBC analyst Mark Halperin, former New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier and former NPR chief editor Michael Oreskes, who was an AP executive from 2008 to 2015.
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A 21-year-old artist in Ivory Coast has found an eye-catching new way to draw attention to the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment — by sculpting her hair into the image of a man lifting a woman’s skirt.

Laetitia Ky creates elaborate hair sculptures in order to emphasize black women’s natural beauty, which is undervalued in the realms of fashion and entertainment, she said.

When women around the world began sharing experiences of sexual abuse and harassment on social media using the hashtag #MeToo, sparked by allegations against U.S. movie producer Harvey Weinstein, she knew she wanted to take part.

“Like everyone, I saw the wave of women who were speaking out, and this touched me immensely,” Ky told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I hope women everywhere wake up and revolt.”

Ky posted a picture of her hair art on Facebook and Instagram along with the story of a friend who had narrowly escaped rape. She invited other women to send her messages if they wanted to share their stories.

The testimonies have been pouring in, she said. In West Africa, many women have said that sexual assault is rampant but so taboo that you can be shunned or considered unfit to marry for speaking out.
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The New York City Police Department said Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant.

Reuters requests for comment from Weinstein’s representative and his attorney were not immediately answered.

Robert Boyce, the police department’s deputy chief of detectives,  said at a news conference that the alleged victim “put forth a credible and detailed narrative.”

“We have an actual case here,” Boyce said.

He said the police department became aware of the accusation October 25. Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and “we have to move forward gathering evidence.”

Boyce said that because Weinstein was out of state, the police department would need a court-ordered warrant for any arrest.

More than 50 women have claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them over the past three decades.

Encounters denied

Weinstein has denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone. Reuters has been unable to independently confirm any of the allegations.

Boyce said police had spoken to the woman and “we found corroboration along the way.”

He said the NYPD was working on the case with the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

“Right now [Weinstein] poses no threat to anybody in New York City. He’s out of state. So it’s a continuing investigation,” Boyce told reporters.

Earlier Friday, in response to media reports, Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., told Reuters, “A senior sex crimes prosecutor is assigned to this investigation, and the office has been working with our partners in the NYPD since the new allegations came to light.”

Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein, but no charges have been brought against him.
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An Ohio waitress says model Chrissy Teigen left her the largest tip of her life.

 

Mikayla Scott says she was working at a Centerville Outback Steakhouse on Oct. 27 when Teigen, her daughter and several others came in.

 

The 21-year-old says she was nervous serving the model, but at the end she found Teigen left a $1,000 tip. Scott says, “I was like, ‘Oh my god, praise the Lord.”

 

Teigen’s husband, singer John Legend, is from Springfield. He had returned to his hometown that night to see the football game between local high schools Kettering Fairmont and Springfield.

 

Scott says she used the extra money to fix her family’s car, and she shared some of it with her co-workers.
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We’re blasting off with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending Nov. 4, 2017.

We greet one new song this week, and you don’t have to wait long.

Number 5: Imagine Dragons “Thunder” 

Imagine Dragons is back in a big way with its “Evolve” album, as “Thunder” jumps three slots to number five. 

Last year, the Las Vegas band took a break while lead singer Dan Reynolds worked with a therapist. Dan says he’s suffered from depression since he was young.

Their third album, “Evolve,” has turned into a big success, with “Thunder” the second single … and the second-straight countdown hit.

Number 4: Portugal. The Man “Feel It Still”

We have two rock bands in the Top Five this week … that’s a rare occurrence in this day and age.

Portugal. The Man advances a slot to fourth place with the breakout pop hit “Feel It Still.”

Twenty One Pilots had two rock songs in the Top Five last year … but it’s been more than a decade since two separate rock bands made the Top Five. It last happened in February 2007, when Fall Out Boy charted in third place with “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race,” and Daughtry hit fourth place with “It’s Not Over.”

Number 3: Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid “1-800-273-8255”

It’s definitely not over for Logic, Alessia Cara, and Khalid, all holding in third place with “1-800-273-8255.”

It’s been a breakout year for Khalid. Back in March, he dropped his debut album “American Teen.” Last week, it was certified platinum, with sales topping one million. Two of its tracks, “Location” and “Young, Dumb, and Broke” are also platinum or multi-platinum. Next week, Khalid will tour Australia and New Zealand, with Europe and the U.K. on tap next February.

Number 2: Cardi B “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”

Our second-place act isn’t worried about tour dates — she’s too busy admiring the diamond on her finger.

Cardi is engaged to Offset of the rap trio Migos. It happened Oct. 27, when Offset got down on one knee and proposed at the Power 99 Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia. Cardi’s now sporting an eight-carat pear-shaped diamond engagement ring.

Number 1: Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage “Rockstar”

Post Malone and 21 Savage get to hold the gold for a second week, as “Rockstar” keeps the Hot 100 title. 21 Savage is winning everywhere.

 21 Savage’s “Issa Album” just went gold, with sales topping half a million copies, and he also recently completed his first solo flight as a pilot. The hour-long flight in Florida capped five months of flying lessons.

We’ll take off again next week, so join us if you can.
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Alex Ovechkin’s new “social movement” to support President Vladimir Putin received Kremlin backing Friday.

The Washington Capitals captain said Thursday on Instagram he was starting a group called Putin Team to “show everyone a strong and united Russia.” Ovechkin added that he has never hidden his feelings about Putin and has “always supported him openly.”

The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18. Putin hasn’t confirmed he will run for a fourth term, but is widely expected to do so.

“We obviously welcome in general Sasha’s desire to express support for our president, especially from abroad,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to Ovechkin.

Peskov added that Ovechkin is “a very famous Russian, a very successful Russian, and we really know that he values our president highly.”

Ovechkin, speaking after the Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders on Thursday, said he didn’t mean his post as a political gesture, but as a sign of Russian patriotism.

He hasn’t said what exactly the movement will do or how it will be organized.

Putin is a hockey fan who takes to the ice for annual televised exhibitions games using the branding of the NHL — though in that case it stands for “Night Hockey League.” Putin plays alongside former star players and government officials, and regularly scores several goals, though his opponents seem reluctant to challenge him for the puck.

 
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City officials say the return of Philadelphia’s iconic “LOVE” statue will take a few more months.

The city Parks & Recreation department announced Thursday the Robert Indiana sculpture is still being restored. The sculpture was on display at a plaza next to City Hall while its permanent home, Love Park, has been going through a multimillion-dollar renovation.

 

The sculpture will look different upon its return. City officials say workers are repainting it to the original colors of red, green and purple that the artist used instead of red, green and blue.

 

Officials say the sculpture will be displayed next year upon completion of Love Park.
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As a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, Rhiannon Giddens crosses musical divides.

 

Trained as an opera singer, she also plays a mean country fiddle. Folk, bluegrass, gospel and Irish ballads are all within her reach and she’s even won a Grammy with the black string band Carolina Chocolate Drops. Now she’s eager to begin work on her first musical, about a white revolt against a part African-American government in one North Carolina city three decades after the Civil War.

 

A native of North Carolina, Giddens is the child of a white father and black mother who married three years after the Supreme Court struck down all bans on interracial marriage in 1967. Today the versatile 40-year-old performer is winning accolades while casting a fresh spotlight on African-American contributions to early American music. She even drew from slave narratives for her latest album “Freedom Highway.” And for her accomplishments, she recently picked up a $625,000 “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation.

 

Helped by the award, Giddens plans to take time off from touring to work on a musical about the 1898 overthrow of a so-called fusion government of legitimately elected blacks and white Republicans in Wilmington, North Carolina. Though a footnote in many history books, the insurrection by white Democrats who burned and killed their way to power is seen as an incendiary moment in the dawning of the Jim Crow era of segregation.

“I think there’s an opportunity to tell a story through this historical event which politically was very important,” Giddens said in a phone interview about the revolt, which some historians likened to a coup d’etat. She recalled a pattern of violence directed against African-Americans for decades after the war and slavery’s end. Among those moments: Colfax, Louisiana, when about 150 black men were killed by white Democrats in 1873, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, when as many as 300 may have died.

 

Whatever she writes about the overthrow of 1898, Rhiannon Giddens is adamant there will be no similarities to “Hamilton,” the wildly popular Broadway show written around another historic event. This won’t be “Hamilton” she said, because — a) — she doesn’t write hip hop and — b) — the Wilmington history isn’t as well-known as that of the former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.

 

“I think there’s something in between that (‘Hamilton’) and something like ‘Oklahoma!’ something narratively speaking that I want do with that piece,” Giddens explained. “I don’t know what it is yet because I haven’t made it.”

 

Historian David Cecelski, who co-wrote a book about 1898 Wilmington titled “Democracy Betrayed,” is excited that Giddens would bring the story to the stage.

 

“Art has the power to do more than just give people the facts of what happened,” he said. “Historians have been trying to sledgehammer people into remembering these events. Maybe music offers a broader possibility of finding some kind of way to use that history to find some peace in the past and deal with our current dilemmas.”

 

This year Giddens made her acting debut on the CMT show “Nashville.” And she was lauded by the MacArthur Foundation for powerful stage performances, impressive vocals and for bringing African-American contributions to folk music out front. According to the foundation, she’s “introducing new audiences to the black banjoists and fiddlers whose influences have been left out of the popular narratives of folk and country’s history.”

In 2016, Giddens won the $50,000 Steve Martin Prize for excellence in banjo and bluegrass. And in a widely praised keynote speech to the International Bluegrass Music Association business conference in Raleigh, she spoke this year about the African influence on banjo and bluegrass, long dominated by white performers and white audiences.

 

“So the question becomes: are we going to let bluegrass, as an art form, recognize the fullness of its history?” she asked in her impassioned speech. “Are we going to acknowledge that the question is not, how do we get diversity into bluegrass, but how do we get diversity back into bluegrass?”

 

The great African-American fiddler Joe Thompson, who died in 2012 at age 93, was a mentor to Giddens, who also plays the five-string banjo.

 

Cece Conway, an English professor at Appalachian State University who directs the black and global banjo roots concerts at the school, said that Thompson’s mentoring “anchors her music in a significant way.”

 

“Her ability and perspective to be able to look at the historical aspects of the music is a tremendous contribution that she’s beginning to explore more and more. And her plan to take on this musical about this intense historical event is very challenging,” he noted of her plans to explore the 1898 white revolt.

 

Developing a musical about the racial and political upheaval of 19th century North Carolina is a challenge Giddens feels ready to embrace.

 

“It’s all in my head at the moment,” she said. “But it’s got time now to come out.”
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Despite the recent terror attack in New York City, the TCS New York City Marathon will go on as planned Sunday. The largest in the world by its number of participants, the race brings running enthusiasts from all over the globe to New York City.

More than 50,000 runners and an estimated 1 million spectators will take to the streets, as runners traverse the five boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan to cover the marathon’s distance of 26.2 miles.

Since the marathon was first organized in 1970, no female New York City resident has ever won it. But Buzunesh Deba has the best chance. She is the fastest female New Yorker in history, winning the 2014 Boston Marathon with a record-setting time of 2:19:59.

Only one New York City male resident has ever won — Dr. Norbert Sander in 1974.

In 2011 and 2013, Deba was runner-up in the New York City Marathon and its seventh-fastest female finisher of all time.

Among New York City running fans, Deba is the hometown favorite.

Originally from Ethiopia, she has lived and trained in the Bronx for 12 years and considers herself a New Yorker. On any given day, you can find her on the running paths of the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park or taking the subway to run in Manhattan’s Central Park.

“I love New York,” Deba told VOA News. “It’s a nice place for training, for everything.”

Her training locale is an unexpected choice, as elite runners often choose warmer, high-altitude locations to live and train in. Those atmospheres help increase red blood cell production in the body, which in turn delivers more oxygen to muscles.

Deba’s husband and coach, Worku Beyi, said people are always surprised at how she manages to beat other elite runners who train in high altitudes. “It doesn’t matter, if you work very hard,” Beyi said.

‘I feel great’

Deba competed last year, but was still recovering from an illness that ultimately forced her to drop out of the race. This year is a different story. “I feel great,” she said. “I’m ready.”

“Mentally, she’s very strong. She’s always focused,” her husband said. During their training runs together, Beyi tells Deba her pace, but she often remains quiet. “She just focus[es] on her training and on her race,” he said.

On race morning, Deba, a devout Orthodox Christian, will say a prayer before heading out the door to get to the start on Staten Island by 9:20 a.m.

“My religion is very important to me. Every day, every night, I pray,” she said.

Belaynesh Fikadu, a fellow Ethiopian expat and an elite runner herself, trains with Deba in the Bronx. Fikadu, who will be competing in her first New York City marathon, said she has received lots of advice from Deba and Beyi.

“They are almost my brother and sister,” Fikadu said. As for her own racing efforts, “I try, but I hope Buzunesh win it,” Fikadu said with a smile.

In her eighth bid for the win, Deba’s strategy is simple: “Keep going, never give up.”

Come race day, New Yorkers will be cheering on one of their own.
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The city of Houston turned to the Astros for a boost in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the team delivered in spades in a magical run to win their first World Series title nine weeks later.

When the Astros beat the Los Angles Dodgers 5-1 in the decisive game of Major League Baseball’s title game on Wednesday it set off celebrations across Houston where many are still recovering from the strongest hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years.

“To give people who are going through a hard time something to really cheer about, and step away from whatever hardships they’re going through and rally around, it creates a special bond,” Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who arrived in Houston via a trade only days after Hurricane Harvey hit, told MLB.com.

“I saw it way back when and felt it when I got here. And to really kind of follow through and actually win the whole damn thing, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

After Hurricane Harvey, which brought devastating wind and flooding to parts of America’s fourth-largest city, the Astros began wearing a simple patch on their uniform as a reminder of what the city lost.

The patch on the upper left side of their chests featured the word “STRONG” in white block letters between an Astros’ logo and a rendering of the state of Texas.

The Astros quickly became a rallying point for many in the city.

“We’re just happy for the city,” Astros owner Jim Crane said. “The city was in bad shape. Still a lot of work to do there, but I’m happy for the fans and the city and the region. Just couldn’t be more proud of that, and we look forward to getting back with the trophy.”

The Astros will enjoy a victory parade through Houston’s streets on Friday and the city’s largest school district has cancelled classes so students can celebrate the World Series triumph.

Parts of Houston suffered severe wind and flood damage after Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Aug. 25 while the Astros were in California for a road trip.

Eight days later they returned to their ballpark to play the New York Mets, who had agreed to postpone the previous day’s game so players from both teams could volunteer as part of the relief efforts.

 

Astros manager A.J. Hinch told the crowd it was a special day to start the re-build of the storm-struck city.

They then enjoyed a strong finish to the regular season before embarking on a remarkable playoff run in which they won three elimination games — two against the New York Yankees and one in the World Series decider.

“Our team believed in each other all year. And through the good times and the bad times, through a rough stretch in August, to getting down 3-2 against a very good New York team,” Astros outfielder George Springer said.

“There’s a lot of things that happened. And this is — I’m so happy to be a part of it to bring a championship back, to a city that desperately needed one, is a surreal feeling.”

 
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Lego is having a sleepover at its newly-opened Lego House in Denmark.

The Danish toy company has teamed up with Airbnb to allow one family to stay the night at its new attraction — a 12,000 square-meter (129,167 square-foot) building filled with 25 million colorful plastic bricks.

There’s a parents’ bedroom that features a Lego cat, slippers, a coffee pot, and even a newspaper made from the bricks. In the children’s bedroom there’s a Lego teddy bear, lamp and story book. Towering above the child’s bed is a six-meter (20-foot) tall Lego brick waterfall, surrounded by a seemingly bottomless pool of — you guessed it — Lego bricks.

“What I do as a as a job is I actually make the products that you can buy at the toy stores,” says Lego design manager Jamie Berard. “So, to do something like this outrageous waterfall or to recreate a bedroom out of what is currently not really a living space is a wonderful challenge.”

Those who want to join Lego’s private sleepover must enter a competition and describe what they would build if they had an infinite supply of Lego bricks. The winner will get the chance to create their entry under expert supervision, as part of their stay.

Designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, Lego House opened in late September after four years’ building work. The attraction is located in central Billund, a small town in Danish Jutland where the toy company is headquartered.

Towering at the building’s center is a 15-meter tall Lego brick tree, named the “Tree of Creativity,” which took over 24,000 working hours to construct. Made from over six million bricks, it charts the gradual evolution of the toy company’s creations.

The competition launches Thursday and is set to run till mid-November. The winner’s family will visit Lego House on November 24.

This isn’t Airbnb’s first sleepover contest — last year, it invited people to spend a night next to the shark tank at Paris Aquarium and at “Dracula’s castle” in Romania. It was the first time Bran Castle welcomed overnight guests since 1948.

The Lego experience is rather tame by comparison, unless barefoot visitors should unwittingly step on a stray Lego brick. Adults are advised to wear Lego-proof slippers just to be safe.

“I wish I was the one that could just sleep in here,” says seven-year-old Albert Landbo, who was visiting with his brother Gustav and their parents. Asked what creation he proposed for the competition, he said: “I think I would make a little baby husky.”
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Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is seeking unspecified treatment, according to his representatives, following allegations of sexual misconduct that have forced a halt in production of his Netflix show “House of Cards” and a social media backlash.

“Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment,” his representatives said in a statement late Wednesday.

No details on the nature of the treatment were provided. An email from Reuters seeking further comment wasn’t returned.

Spacey over the weekend apologized to actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused the Hollywood star of trying to seduce him in 1986, when Rapp was 14.

As part of his apology, Spacey also announced he was gay, but angered many in the LGBT community and beyond who saw his announcement as an effort to divert attention from the disclosure by Rapp.

Rapp said on his Twitter feed at the weekend that he would have no further comment.

Streaming service Netflix, saying it was “deeply troubled” by Rapp’s allegation, subsequently said that production of the upcoming sixth season of its Golden Globe-winning political drama “House of Cards,” in which Spacey plays U.S. president Frank Underwood, was being suspended and that the show would end after the 6th season.

It was not clear on Thursday whether the sixth season of the show would go ahead after Spacey’s decision to seek treatment.

“We view Kevin seeking treatment as a positive step. We continue to take this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the production and have nothing further to share at this time,” Netflix and producer Media Rights Capital said in a statement after Wednesday’s announcement.

Spacey’s announcement follows harassment allegations against him this week by two other men – Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos, who worked in the London theater where Spacey was artistic director from 2004-2015, and U.S. filmmaker Tony Montana.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the accusations.

Spacey is among a number of prominent entertainment figures who have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks.
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Museums of fine art in Bern, Switzerland, and Bonn, Germany, have put on display hundreds of paintings and drawings, including works by Picasso, Matisse and Chagall, collected by German art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt. Some of the works were looted from Jewish homes, others were acquired after Nazi authorities had them removed from galleries. Gurlitt, who died in 2014, bequeathed what was left of the collection to the Bern Kunstmuseum. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke has more.
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