Least Sinful City in US

Least Sinful City in US Is in the Northeast

Hello, South Burlington, Vermont

By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff

A confessional booth.   (Getty/syldavia)

(NEWSER) – The most "sinful" city in the US is ... yup, Vegas. Though that top result isn't too surprising, a ranking by WalletHub is still pretty entertaining to read. Using metrics that run the gamut from casinos, to massage parlors, to plastic surgeries (vanity is a sin, remember), and even to the number of active Tinder users, the site has a comprehensive ranking on the best and least sinful cities out of more than 180 studied. South Burlington, Vermont, ends up as the most virtuous. Here are the worst, along with the overall "vice index":

Airport Breaks World Record

Airport Breaks World Record for Number of Flights in 24 Hours

By 

Sam Nagarajan

Rising incomes and cheaper fares offered by budget carriers are fueling air travel in India, an aviation market set to be the third biggest behind China and the U.S.

In signs traffic is surging, Mumbai on Friday handled 969 flights in a 24-hour period, a world record for an airport that operates only one runway at any given point of time, the Times of India reported Sunday, citing an official at the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. The aim is to reach 1,000 aircraft movements, the official told the newspaper.

Indian carriers flew about 100 million domestic passengers last year, and the International Air Transport Association estimates the market will add about 337 million more in the next two decades. About 97 percent of India’s 1.3 billion people have never been on an airplane, according to low-cost airline SpiceJet Ltd., indicating the potential for growth in traffic.

Mumbai’s airport, which has two runways, can operate only one at a time because they criss-cross each other, with lack of land ruling out the construction of one more. As a result, it is technically a single-runway facility. The surge in traffic on Friday was also aided by private and charter aircraft, the newspaper said.

Major Apple Security Flaw

Major Apple security flaw grants admin access on macOS High Sierra without password

The critical vulnerability was publicly disclosed on Twitter

by Chris Welch 

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

There’s a major flaw in Apple’s macOS High Sierra operating system that allows anyone with physical access to a Mac to gain system administrator access without so much as entering a password. Late Tuesday, Apple confirmed that it’s working on a software update to fix the issue and published step-by-step instructions to help customers protect their machines in the meantime.

The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on Twitter this afternoon; it’s not clear whether the problem was privately reported to Apple ahead of time, which is the encouraged practice when security vulnerabilities are uncovered. (The company maintains an invite-only bug bounty program.) Despite its incredibly alarming simplicity, The Verge is not reproducing the steps to bypass High Sierra’s login screen here. It does not affect Sierra or other previous macOS versions.

However, The Verge has been able to confirm the major security issue remains present as of MacOS 10.13.1, the current release of High Sierra. When the problem is exploited, the user is authenticated into a “System Administrator” account and is given full ability to view files and even reset or change passwords for pre-existing users on that machine. Apple ID email addresses tied to users on the Mac can be removed and altered, as well. There are likely many more ways that someone taking advantage of the issue could wreak havoc on a Mac desktop or laptop.


The level of unbridled access this security hole permits — and it abruptly being made public — will almost certainly prompt Apple to move fast in releasing an update for its Mac operating system. The company hasn’t yet provided a release timeframe for that update.

Until that happens, the best way to protect your Mac against the issue reported today is by ensuring that you’ve set a root password. To do that, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Options > Join > Open Directory Utility > Edit pulldown menu. Enable the Root User if you haven’t already and then choose Change Root Password. (Thanks, dyavuz!)

The Verge has reached out to Apple for further details.

Testing at Area 51?

Is the Air Force’s New Bomber Testing at Area 51?

New facilities, unusual aircraft sightings point to activity at the mysterious site. But why?

GETTYDIGITALGLOBE

By Kyle Mizokami

A rash of unusual activity, coupled with new construction at the world-famous testing ground of Area 51, has aviation enthusiasts wondering if the base is gearing up to help with the development of a new bomber. Some evidence seems to point to the secret site’s involvement in the Air Force’s B-21 Raider program, designed to create a new stealth bomber to penetrate advanced enemy defenses.

Currently under development for the U.S. Air Force, the B-21 Raider is America’s first new heavy bomber in thirty years. Official Air Force depictions show a bat-like airplane similar to the existing B-1 Spirit stealth bomber. The B-21 will be equipped with the latest in stealth technology and is supposed to come in at $550 million apiece. The Air Force wants at least 100 of the bombers to replace the B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers.

The Aviationist blog post about this neatly rounds up recent goings-on in and around Area 51. The post recounts some unusual activity recounted by eyewitnesses in Nevada, including bearded, military-age men boarding buses to nowhere, F-117A Nighthawk sightings, and F-16 fighters equipped with AN/AAS-42 infrared search and track sensor pods following the retired stealth fighters in the area.

 
B-21 Raider.
U.S. AIR FORCE

At the same time, satellite imagery of Area 51 reveals a new U-shaped taxiway, roadway, and very large hangar. The hangar, about 250 by 275 feet, is considerably larger than what’s necessary for the current B-2 Spirit bomber. The post’s conclusion? All of this activity is probably the result of Air Force and Northrop Grumman work on the B-21 Raider.

The sightings of the F-117s and F-16s are particularly intriguing. The radar-defeating aspect of stealth is well known, but making an aircraft difficult to spot with infrared sensors—particularly infrared search and track (IRST) systems mounted on modern fighters and infrared seekers on air-to-air missiles—is another means of making an aircraft stealthy. The Nighthawks could be testing some kind of new infrared suppression system designed to combat heat buildup on the aircraft airframe and the jet engine exhaust, with the F-16 monitoring the Nighthawk’s infrared signature during test flights. But even that’s a guess. We’ll know in the 2020s when the B-21 Raider is slated to become operational.

Retail Workers Complain - Music

Retail workers say holiday music is emotionally damaging: study

By Tamar Lapin 

Shutterstock

One-quarter of American retail workers say their holiday spirit is dying because they’re forced to listen to Christmas songs all day — with some saying it’s damaging their emotional well-being, according to a new study.

“Feeling less festive is a specific mental reaction to listening to Christmas music and rebelling against it, whereas the data showing it can have a negative effect on worker wellbeing must be treated with much more caution,” said Ola Sars, founder of Soundtrack Your Brand, a streaming service for background music, which conducted the study.

“In what can be a highly stressful job at this time of year, it’s important to consider whether a store’s soundtrack is actually increasing stress among its staff,” he added.

The company, which is partly owned by Spotify, surveyed more than 2,000 customers and retail staffers in the United States and United Kingdom about the tunes played during holiday shopping season.

Some retail workers, who are forced to listen to the jingles for up to six weeks a year, said a lack of variety in the songs affected them negatively.

A little over half of holiday shoppers in America said they actually adore the festive soundtrack while shopping, although 23 percent said they don’t want hear any of it before Dec. 1.

“Seeing as ‘repetition of songs’ is people’s biggest gripe when it comes to Christmas music, it’s unsurprising that shoppers have a more favorable view than workers,” Sars said.

“Shoppers can be in and out of a store within the hour, whereas workers have long shifts where oftentimes the same music is played on loop.”

One gripe specific to millennial shoppers was that joyous carols aren’t always in tune with a shop’s vibe.

“Younger people are much more attuned to when background music clashes with a store’s brand,” Sars said, suggesting shops play hip covers of old-time favorites.

He told The Post it was important for retailers to switch up their soundtracks to keep staffers and customers engaged, though, nodding to the ’90s holiday smash “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” he noted, “Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Mariah Carey blaring out of shop windows.”

Media Layoffs

With new BuzzFeed and ESPN layoffs, it's another dark day in media

IMAGE: CHARLEY GALLAY/GETTY IMAGES FOR BUZZFEED

BY RACHEL KRAUS

The grim reaper has come to take what's his from the media industry.

On Wednesday, BuzzFeed and ESPN both announced layoffs, with each company's CEO issues a statement.

In the U.S., BuzzFeed's layoffs will mostly affect employees in their business and advertising departments, while in the UK, some content teams will lose employees. The shift in the business and sales teams, possibly affected by BuzzFeed missing their revenue targets by more than 20 percent this year, also includes new roles for BuzzFeed president Greg Coleman, who will focus on the advertising side.

BuzzFeed media and politics reporter Steven Perlberg first shared the news of the shake-up on Twitter.

Meanwhile over in Connecticut, 150 behind-the-scenes employees are being terminated from ESPN. These layoffs follow the firing of 100-plus on-air personalities in April. The move today was announced in a memo from ESPN President John Skipper.

Today we are informing approximately 150 people at ESPN that their jobs are being eliminated.

We appreciate their contributions, and will assist them as much as possible in this difficult moment with severance, a 2017 bonus, the continuation of health benefits and outplacement services. They will also appreciate your support.

The majority of the jobs eliminated are in studio production, digital content, and technology and they generally reflect decisions to do less in certain instances and re-direct resources.

We will continue to invest in ways which will best position us to serve the modern sports fan and support the success of our business.

John

So what do these layoffs mean for the media industry? That revenue streams are increasingly hard to come by, even for some of the most widely consumed organizations.

Previously, BuzzFeed called the lost jobs due to shrinking profits a "bloodbath." In this case, BuzzFeed's bet on their digital advertising services apparently didn't pan out as they'd hoped, so they're having to change course. And ESPN continues to lose viewers as cord cutters and OTT streaming services eat away at subscriptions.

The only spot of good news for, um, news? Apparently, millennials are starting to pay for access to traditional outlets, like newspapers, again. So, there's that. Happy Wednesday!

World News

Vietnam Upholds 10-Year Jail Term for 'Mother Mushroom'

US condemns decision

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Nguyen Van Hoa, center, stands on trial in the central province of Ha Tinh, Vietnam, on Monday.   (Cong Tuong/Vietnam News Agency via AP)

(NEWSER) – A Vietnamese appeals court has upheld a blogger's 10-year prison sentence for Facebook posts alleged to be anti-state propaganda, her lawyer says. It was the second tough sentence imposed on dissidents in a week to draw a rebuke from the US government, the AP reports. The blogger, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, was convicted in June of spreading propaganda by distorting government policies and defaming the Communist regime. Lawyer Nguyen Ha Luan said the Supreme People's Court determined after a half-day hearing Thursday in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa that the conviction was justified. Quynh maintained she was innocent throughout the trial, Luan said, adding she admitted writing the articles, but saying they didn't constitute a crime.

The popular 37-year-old blogger, known by her pen name Me Nam, or "Mother Mushroom," has written about human rights and the release of toxic chemicals by a Taiwanese-owned factory that killed thousands of fish in one of Vietnam's worst environmental disasters. US Charge d'Affaires Caryn McClelland said in a statement Thursday that she was "deeply troubled" by the court's decision. The US "calls on Vietnam to release Ms. Quynh and all prisoners of conscience immediately, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and assemble peacefully without fear of retribution," she said. On Monday, a court sentenced activist Nguyen Van Hoa to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of producing online videos and interviews related to the fish kill.

Disney's live-action Mulan

Disney's live-action Mulan finds its star

By Nick Romano

Disney has found a lead for its live-action Mulan.

Following a worldwide search, the studio announced Wednesday that it has cast Chinese actress Liu Yifei (a.k.a. Crystal Liu) as Hua Mulan. Stemming from Disney’s trend of adapting its library of animated classics as live-action feature films, this new take on the warrior woman sees a young woman disguise herself as a man to take her father’s place in the army against the backdrop of fifth-century China.

Liu, nicknamed “Fairy Sister” in China, is one of her native country’s most popular actresses. Since breaking out in various television shows in the 2000s, she’s appeared in films like The Forbidden Kingdom (with Jackie Chan and Jet Li), White Vengeance, Outcast (with Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen), Ip Man 3 (with Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson), and this year’s The Chinese Window (with Emile Hirsch).

Niki Caro (The Zookeeper’s Wife) will direct this new take on Mulan, which is inspired by both the 1998 animated film and the centuries-old folktale. The film is based on a script initially penned by Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek and rewritten by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

“The budget and the location and the story [are] offering such scope to me for [an] incredible, muscular piece of girly martial arts extravaganza in China. And I can’t wait,” Caro said in March. “I’ve got my little girl, she’s 9,” the filmmaker added. “We’re going to start learning mixed martial arts in preparation.”

While Caro initially said “we’ve never talked about songs” for the film, Disney’s president of production, Sean Bailey, later clarified to EW that Mulan is “not currently intended to be [a musical],” but “nothing is off the table.”

Jason Reed, Chris Bender, and Jake Weiner will produce Mulan, and Bill Kong will executive produce.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news.

Restored to Gladness

Restored to Gladness

By Touching Lives

“Restore me to the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12

When a believer sins, God doesn’t rob him of his salvation. You never lose your salvation, but you can lose the joy of your salvation. The saddest, most miserable people I have ever met in my life are followers of Jesus who are living in unconfessed, unforgiven sin. I can say this with complete confidence: If you can live in sin and be happy, you are not a true follower of Jesus. But, if you are a follower of Jesus you cannot live in sin and be happy.

When King David wrote Psalm 51, he had spent the past year miserably living in the filth of sin and guilt. Have you ever noticed the natural tendency that people have to try and hide their faces if they are ashamed or embarrassed? For example, you will see people arrest on television trying to hide their faces or turn away from the cameras. You can’t see it, but figuratively speaking there is an invisible ghost of guilt walking right behind them.

That is why we must say goodbye to guilt through the power of God. Sin beats you up and leaves you for dead; but forgiveness picks you up and restores you to health. Sin sinks you into guilt; but forgiveness showers you with grace. Sin puts a frown on your heart; but forgiveness puts a smile in your soul. Sin puts God on the outside; but forgiveness brings God on the inside. Sin will cost you everything and give you a guilty conscience; but forgiveness costs God everything and gives you a clean heart.

Do you know what happens when you are restored to God’s gladness? You will become a witness of Jesus again. Sin not only soils the soul, it seals the lips. You will also become a worshipper again. When you are living in sin and swallowed by guilt, your heart is not in worship. When you say goodbye to guilt every time you open your lips you want to declare God’s praise.

Are you feeling guilty because of unconfessed sin in your life? Please know that Jesus didn’t come to reject us. He came to release us, renew us, revive us, and restore us.

Don’t Let Your Hearts be Troubled

God’s Reminder for Today: Don’t Let Your Hearts Be TroubledBy Debbie McDaniel, Crosswalk.com Writer

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1

Sometimes we face circumstances in life that are just out of our control. No amount of our own planning and effort can make it better, or could have even prevented it from occurring. Hard things happen. We feel at a loss in how to fix it all. Sometimes it seems too broken. We may try hard to regain some sense of order, but life can still feel unbalanced, uncertain, even chaotic, because of the pressures that cling too tightly.

Jesus Himself understood these pressures. Over and over in His Word, He reminds us not to worry, not to fear, not to be "troubled" in our hearts.

And on the heels of the Last Supper, before His difficult journey to the cross, Christ offers comfort to His disciples, for He knew what lay ahead. He knew the trials they would all soon face. He could have said so many things in that moment, but these are the words He chose then, and the words that have such power for us still today:

"Do not let your hearts (inmost part, center of your spiritual life and physical being), be troubled (agitated, restless, disturbed). Trust (believe, to have full confidence) in God, trust also in me." John 14:1

4 Truths from this verse to help us live wisely:

- Many around us will have troubled hearts in this world, troubled souls, but Jesus reminds us, don't let "your" heart be troubled. Don't follow the crowd, stand apart, for we know where our true peace and security are found.

- Take care of your "heart" for it is "the fountain and seat of all the thoughts, passions, affections, and purposes" in our lives. Our hearts compel us in every action, thought, and decision. He reminds us to guard our hearts for "everything we do flows from it."

- Don't be "troubled." Sounds easy enough, but quite possibly the most difficult thing in the world. How can we not be troubled when facing huge trials, loss, illness, uncertainty? The only answer lies in Him, and it's how He ends this verse.

- "Trust. Believe." Have full confidence in God, in Christ. For He is the answer for our troubles, every single one. He is our help for each need that we face. He knows our road, the one ahead, and also the tough one we may have just passed through, for He is with us every step. This world is not all we have. This one may be riddled with obstacles, potholes, and even dangerous cliffs. Often we find ourselves struggling just to stay the course.

But we can have hope, still. Right in the very midst of it, in the tough stuff, in the battle. For He is secure. He is trustworthy. He is faithful.

And He has much better, and great blessing, still in store...

Peace.

Intersecting Faith & Life: That one thing that’s been pressing on your heart? Give it to God. And make the choice to leave it there. Choose to trust and believe He’s working on your behalf, even behind the scenes where you can’t see. Ask Him for His Presence of peace to fill your life today.

Further Reading: John 14: 2-7, John 14:27, Proverbs 4:23

Take a Step of Faith

Take a Step of Faith — in God’s Timing

Take a Step of Faith — in God’s Timing
By Rick Warren

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

When God gives an idea — a rhema — he gives it in three parts.

First, he says what he’s going to do, then he says how he’s going to do it, and then he gives you the timing.

The biggest mistake people make is getting the first part but forgetting the other two. We take God’s idea and go out and try to do it as if he doesn’t care how it should be done. We try to do it our way, and we usually fall flat. We don’t know the timing, so we try to rush things.

Three years before we started Saddleback Church, I tried to start another church. I was in Riverside, California, and God had spoken to my heart that I would start a church. So I rented Canyon Hills High School and was getting ready. About a month before we were going to start, God said, “Right idea, but it’s the wrong place and wrong time. Don’t do it, because I’m not in it.” So I canceled my plans, went back to Fort Worth, and worked on a master’s degree for three years. After that God said, “Now, here’s where you’re going,” and he put me in the Saddleback Valley, where we planted Saddleback Church.

How do you know God’s timing? God starts bringing all the pieces together. But you have to wait for it! Then, when God says, “Go,” you move into action. At that point, you have to take a step of faith.

Taking a step of faith may seem impossible for you today because you’re facing a big problem. Maybe you’ve got some difficult decisions to make. In 1975, I had some major health problems that had sent me to both a heart specialist and a neurosurgeon. I was fearful, discouraged, and depressed. One morning, a stranger called me and said, “I don’t know you, but I understand you’re having some health problems. I called because I really feel like God wanted me to share this verse with you.” Through that man, God gave me a rhema and reminded me how he was working in my life.

That verse was 2 Timothy 1:7, and it’s a verse some of you need right now. God’s promise to you is this: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT).

God wants to work in all of our lives — that’s a logos. But he also wants to work in your life with a rhema. Does God still do miracles today? You bet he does. But he does them in his timing, according to his sovereign will. Believe that God is working in your life, claim his promise, and move forward with his power!

Thur Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

I read a story one time about a young navy officer who had made his first trip on a destroyer across the ocean. He had impeccable training, so he was given the assignment to take the destroyer out of the harbor and bring it back to the United States. Since it was his first major assignment he wanted to do it just right.

He was a very bright young officer and in a moment the deck was buzzing with action. He was barking commands here and there. Everything was moving like a Swiss clock. The destroyer made its way out of the harbor without one flaw – a very difficult maneuver.

They were on their way in record time when someone came to the young commander and said, “You have a message from the captain.” He thought it was strange, because it was a radio message, but he read it and this is what the captain said, “Commander, you have done an excellent job. You have done it with great speed and with dispatch. You have dotted your “i’s” and crossed your “t’s”. You have gone by the book, but there is an unwritten rule that you have overlooked, I must call to your attention. The next time you leave the harbor, make certain the captain is on board.”

That officer in his haste had left that harbor with the most important person of all missing – the captain of the ship! I don’t care how wise you think you are. I don’t care how great you think your plans are for your life. I don’t care how much you think you are capable of handling everything going on around you. You had better make sure the captain is on board. You had better make sure you are “up close and personal” with this God who not only made you, but wants to connect with you and keep you in His presence.

Beaver War

'That Should Be a Word That Any Canadian Can Use'

Inside the great Canadian doughnut war

By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff

Popular doughnut muse in its natural habitat.   (Getty Images/zmeel)

(NEWSER) – And now for a very Canadian story about doughnuts, rodents, and an apology. BeaverTails has been selling oval-shaped doughnuts in eastern Canada for nearly 40 years. So when food blogger Julie Van Rosendaal posted a recipe for "Homemade Beaver Tails" last year, she made sure to give credit to BeaverTails and include a link to its website. But that wasn't good enough, CBC reports. Lawyers for BeaverTails contacted Van Rosendaal and asked her to change the name of her recipe to avoid violating its trademark. She changed it to "Beaver Doughnuts" and thought that would be the end of it. It wasn't. This week, lawyers for BeaverTails asked Van Rosendaal to remove any mention of beavers from her recipe.

"I can see that they have, obviously, a trademark on BeaverTails, but the word beaver?" Van Rosendaal tells the Calgary Herald. "That should be a word that any Canadian can use," she adds to CBC. Regardless, she rebranded her recipe "Canadian Semiaquatic Rodent Posterior Doughnut." While it "doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily," Van Rosendaal admits the name is growing on her. Not all of her fans on social media felt the same way, and BeaverTails issued what it calls "a big Canadian sorry" to Van Rosendaal. "If we have ever gone too far during our endeavor to preserve the brand name, we sincerely apologize for this lapse of judgement," the company tweeted Thursday. It also used the opportunity to raise $3,000 for the Calgary Food Bank. It did not, however, give Van Rosendaal the right to use word "beaver." Long live the Canadian Semiaquatic Rodent Posterior Doughnut.

Automated Security Lanes

LAX Is the Latest Airport to Roll Out Automated Security Lanes

GC Images/Getty Images

ANDREA ROMANO

Los Angeles Airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal has opened its first automated screening lanes, which could mean passengers will be spending less time in security lines this holiday season.

“Our goal is to seek out innovative solutions and processes that will increase security effectiveness while improving the passenger experience,” Keith Jeffries, the TSA’s Federal Security Director at LAX, said in a statement.

The new automated lanes, which are part of a $12.3-million project to upgrade the LAX security screening checkpoint, can take on five passengers at a time without each person needing to wait on the person in front of them to complete their screening.

That means no more nervously checking your watch while you wait behind that person with two bags, a coat, tons of accessories, electronics, and complicated shoes.

Passengers place their items in trays on automated conveyor belts, then line up at the body scanner or metal detector. “The automated conveyor belts draw trays into the X-ray machines and return the empty trays back to the front of the line for passengers,” according to LAX. “This eliminates the need to push the tray onto a belt before walking to the body scanner.”

Automated lanes are also available in terminals 2, 4 and 7 at LAX, which is only one of 11 airports to use the technology, according to the TSA. Once all the lanes at Tom Bradley have been updated, the airport expects to be able to screen about 3,220 passengers per hour — nearly 1,000 more than before.

LAX isn't the only airport getting automated security lanes: Passengers can also find them in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami, and should expect to see them in additional airports soon.

Why You Have to Put Your Seat Up

Why You Have to Put Your Seat Up for Takeoff and Landing

Getty Images

It's not just to force you to give up those extra inches of space.

CAILEY RIZZO 

Ladies and gentlemen, we are preparing for takeoff. Please put your seats in the upright and locked positions.

You begrudgingly comply. But why?

As with most things that happen on board an airplane, there’s a good reason for it. And that reason has to do with the safety of everybody on board.

In the event of an emergency, a reclined seat could slow down an emergency evacuation. (It gives the people in the row behind you less room to navigate.) This is also the reason that passengers must stow away their tray tables. And because 45 percent of fatal accidents happen during takeoff or landing, cabin crew implement the policy during these crucial times.

Frequent passengers know they must also lift their window blinds. But perhaps this step is a bit more confusing. After all, a lowered blind doesn’t take up any more room in the airplane cabin. However, when the crew dim the lights for ascent, open blinds allow natural light to enter the cabin. This natural lighting allows passengers to better orient themselves in an emergency evacuation.

Although some standard operating procedures may seem arbitrary, there is almost always a good safety reason, all of which cabin crew are required to know. Feel free to ask cabin crew for further explanations about the safety instructions on your next flight — if they’re not busy, you know, making sure everybody is safe and ready for takeoff.

Mom Found Dead

Mom Who Killed Girl So They'd Both Be in Heaven Found Dead

Bonnie Liltz was supposed to return to prison on Monday

By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff

Bonnie Liltz appears with attorney Thomas Glasgow at a Rolling Meadows courthouse Wednesday, May 11, 2016, in Rolling Meadows, Ill.   (Bob Chwedyk/Daily Herald via AP)

(NEWSER) –

The Chicago Tribune described it as a "highly unusual move": An Illinois woman was granted bond by appellate court judges last year after beginning a four-year prison term related to the death of her severely disabled adult daughter. Now, just days before Bonnie Liltz was to report back to prison, she apparently took her own life. Liltz pleaded guilty in May 2016 to involuntary manslaughter, claiming she was worried about what would happen to Courtney, 28, if Liltz's own health issues killed her; NBC Chicago reports she had ovarian cancer at age 18, and it caused serious and lingering intestinal issues. "I felt the only place she would be safe would be in heaven with me," she told the court. She spent 70 days in prison but was released after her lawyer argued she wasn't receiving the proper medical care.

But Liltz, 57, was ordered to surrender Monday after the state Supreme Court decided not to take up her case; she was found dead Saturday. The Tribune reports police were called to the apartment—the same one where Liltz put powder from broken-up medicine capsules into Courtney's feeding tubes, then into her own wine in an apparent suicide attempt—by concerned family members. "It's a tragic, tragic end," says her attorney, Tom Glasgow, who adds that she did leave a note. "She just didn't want to die in prison." Police say there is no sign of foul play, but an investigation is ongoing. Though they haven't released details, Glasgow said she overdosed on pills, per WGN. Liltz's mother, Gladys, says her daughter got what she wanted: "She's at peace now, in heaven with her daughter." Read more on the case here.

Latest on Tax Overhaul

Tax Overhaul Scores Key Victory in Senate

Budget panel passes it, moving it on to full chamber

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell talks with the media on Tuesday.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

(NEWSER) – The Senate Budget Committee has advanced a sweeping tax package to the full Senate, handing GOP leaders a victory as they try to pass the nation's first tax overhaul in 31 years. The committee voted 12 to 11 to advance the bill. Two committee Republicans had said they were considering voting against the measure, but after President Trump personally lobbied Republican senators at the Capitol Tuesday, the committee passed the bill with little fanfare other than a few protesters who tried to disrupt the committee meeting, per the AP.

GOP leaders hope to have the full Senate take up the bill later this week, though Politicoreports that they were still scrambling to appease critics within their own ranks. The tax package blends a sharp reduction in top corporate and business tax rates with more modest relief for individuals. White House press chief Sarah Huckabee said Trump applauds the committee for "taking an important step toward passing historic tax relief and reform and clearing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this afternoon." She added that the president "looks forward to providing tax cuts for hardworking Americans by the end of the year."

More on Bali Volcano

59,000 Travelers Have Been Stranded in Bali by the Volcanic Eruption

Flights Canceled As Mount Agung Volcano Spews Ash

MELANIE LIEBERMAN

An estimated 59,000 travelers have been stranded in Bali by the eruption of Mount Agung, as a cloud of volcanic ash has interrupted flights.

Despite attempts to reopen Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, Indonesia’s primary airport will remain closed until at least 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The closure is reevaluated every six hours, according to the Associated Press.

Tampa Serial Killer

McDonald's Worker Arrested in Florida Serial Killings

Seminole Height residents can now get a good night's sleep, police say

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

This undated photo provided by the Tampa Police Department shows Howell Emanuel Donaldson. Police in Tampa say they have arrested, Donaldson, 24, and will charge him with murder in a string of recent homicides.   (Tampa Police Department via AP)

(NEWSER) – "Tonight, in the battle between darkness and light, light has won," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said Tuesday night after a man was arrested in connection with suspected serial killings in the city's Seminole Heights neighborhood. Police say 24-year-old McDonald's worker Howell Emanuel Donaldson III will be charged with first-degree murder in the killings of Benjamin Mitchell, 22; Monica Hoffa, 32; Anthony Naiboa, 20; and Ronald Felton, 60, WTSP reports. The victims, apparently chosen at random, were shot to death, with the first killing on Oct. 9 and the most recent on Nov. 14.

Police Chief Brian Dugan announced the arrest at police headquarters Tuesday night, though he didn't say whether Donaldson had confessed, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The chief said that after 51 days of terror, Seminole Heights residents can now get a good night's sleep. The mayor added: "Tonight is the beginning of when justice will be served. And then the process will occur when this individual rots in hell." Donaldson was taken into custody Tuesday after allegedly handing his manager at work a loaded handgun and asking him to hold it while he went for a payday loan. The manager then spoke to a police officer who was already in the restaurant.

Entertainment News

Wednesday's TV highlights: 'Vikings' on History

By ED STOCKLY

Jonathan Rhys Meyers joins the cast in the season premiere of "Vikings" on History Channel. (Jonathan Hession / History Channel)

SERIES

Riverdale The Black Hood serial killer challenges the townspeople to remain sinless for 48 hours, and Betty (Lili Reinhart) believes she knows who the killer is. Cole Sprouse, KJ Apa and Ashleigh Murray also star. 8 p.m. KTLA

Empire Porsha (Ta’Rhonda Jones) isn’t happy about the work schedule that her producer (guest star Forest Whitaker) has her on, while Lucious (Terrence Howard) tries to prove that he’s overcome the effects of the explosion. Demi Moore, Taye Diggs and Phylicia Rashad also guest star in this new episode. 8 p.m. Fox

Speechless Nick Viall (“The Bachelor”) guest stars in this new episode as a new acquaintance JJ (Micah Fowler) makes while visiting a college. Mason Cook, Minnie Driver and John Ross Bowie also star. 8:30 p.m. ABC

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Benson (Mariska Hargitay) discloses secrets of her own past to help a sexual-assault victim (guest star Melora Walters) recall details of an attack. Joanna Going also guest stars. Ice T, Kelli Giddish, Raul Esparza and Peter Scanavino also star. 9 p.m. NBC

Dynasty It's Thanksgiving for the Carringtons, and Blake (Grant Show) sees hopes for an ideal holiday unravel, as he gets into arguments with both Fallon and Steven (Elizabeth Gillies, James Mackay). 9 p.m. KTLA

Modern Family Members of the family recall their own brushes with celebrity in a new episode of the comedy. Phil (Ty Burrell) showed a house to a music star; Jay (Ed O'Neill) did jury duty with a well-known athlete and Manny (Rico Rodriguez) met a playwright and a popular actor-comedian. 9 p.m. ABC

Vikings The action-packed historical drama opens its fifth season with a two-hour episode as Ivar the Boneless (Alex Hogh Andersen) asserts his authority over the Great Heathen Army that threatens the very heart of England. Jonathan Rhys Meyers joins the cast. 9 p.m. History

Chicago P.D. A congressman (guest star Scott Bryce) who is friends with Voight (Jason Beghe) is found unconscious in his hotel room with the dead body of a young woman. 10 p.m. NBC

Ozzy and Jack's World Detour Ozzy and Jack Osbourne board their new RV and head north to Kentucky horse country before visiting a giant replica of Noah's Ark, complete with dinosaurs in cages, in this new episode. 10 p.m. A&E

The A Word Eddie (Greg McHugh) is determined to teach Joe (Max Vento) how to ride a bike, while Rebecca (Molly Wright) tries to help Alison and Paul (Morven Christie, Lee Ingleby) away to spend a weekend alone together. Pooky Quesnel also stars in this new episode of the imported drama. 10 p.m. Sundance

Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party Kelly Rowland and George Lopez join Martha and Snoop for "Taco Tuesday" then Kelly and Sharon Osbourne help celebrate the holidays with Rae Sremmurd in two new episodes. 10 and 10:30 p.m. VH1

SPECIALS

Christmas in Rockefeller Center The annual lighting of the holiday tree is celebrated with performances from Brett Eldredge, Jennifer Nettles, Leslie Odom Jr., Pentatonix, Gwen Stefani, The Tenors, Harry Connick Jr., Auli'i Cravalho, Seal and Train. Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb are the hosts. 8 p.m. NBC

Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo The Grammy-winning music performs at the iconic New York showplace. 10 p.m. CBS

TALK SHOWS

CBS This Morning (N) 7 a.m. KCBS

Today Padma Lakshmi. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC

KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA

Good Morning America John Boyega; Sebastian Stan. (N) 7 a.m. KABC

Good Day L.A. Candace Cameron Bure; the LA Auto Show. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV

Megyn Kelly Today Joe Keery. (N) 9 a.m. KNBC

Live with Kelly and Ryan John Boyega (“Star Wars: the Last Jedi”); Rachel Bloom; Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. (N) 9 a.m. KABC

The View (N) 10 a.m. KABC

The Wendy Williams Show Must-see movies; Southeast Asian-inspired recipes. (N) 11 a.m. KTTV

The Talk Suzanne Somers; Janee Bolden; Darius Rucker. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS

The Dr. Oz Show Dreams and what they can tell people about their health. (N) 1 p.m. KTTV

The Doctors Germs soda-can lids might harbor; rubbing alcohol may help with hot flashes; kids play with a snake. (N) 2 p.m. KCBS

Steve Jermaine Dupri ("The Rap Game"); Ariel Winter. (N) 2 p.m. KNBC

Rachael Ray Carol Burnett; Bellamy Young ("Scandal"). (N) 2 p.m. KCOP

Dr. Phil A young woman says she hates her appearance so much that she rarely leaves her house. (N) 3 p.m. KCBS

The Ellen DeGeneres Show Bryan Cranston; Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer; Daya performs. (N) 3 p.m. KNBC

The Real Terrence J ("Are You the One?"). (N) 3 p.m. KTTV

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Hip-hop artist and activist Talib Kweli. (N) 11 p.m. Comedy Central

Conan Eric McCormack; Rob Riggle. (N) 11 p.m. TBS

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon John Boyega; Kevin Nealon; Fallonventions. (N) 11:34 p.m. KNBC

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Justin Timberlake; Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. (N) 11:35 p.m. KCBS

Jimmy Kimmel Live James Franco; Octavia Spencer; Brooklynn Prince; BTS. (N) 11:35 p.m. KABC

Tavis Smiley Former Sec. of Labor Robert Reich. (N) midnight KOCE

The Late Late Show With James Corden Armie Hammer; Juno Temple; Charlie Puth performs. (N) 12:37 a.m. KCBS

Late Night With Seth Meyers John Oliver; Rachel Bloom; Will Dorsey Jr. (N) 12:37 a.m. KNBC

Nightline (N) 12:37 a.m. KABC