Kerry, Putin talk Syria, Ukraine. But everyone wants to know: What's in the briefcase?

United States Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Moscow on Wednesday to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on ending the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Kerry said he hoped the meetings would allow the countries to find a way to "rebuild and strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Russia by proving that we know how to solve some serious problems together and building from there."

But before they got down to business, there was something else Putin wanted the secretary to address: what's with him lugging around his own briefcase, and what exactly is in it? Read more...

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Shortly after her death, Harper Lee's heirs kill cheap paperback edition of To Kill a Mockingbird

A court upheld the sealing away of Lee's will from public view, so it's impossible to say for sure what prompted the move, but this much is clear: schools that assign "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- one of the most commonly assigned books in US classrooms -- will have to pay a lot more for their books, and that money will not, and cannot, benefit the author.
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What it's really like to be pummeled by Nickelodeon slime

INGLEWOOD, California — Why didn't I come in workout clothes?

That was first thought I had when I watched two brave production assistants rise from their seats at Kids' Choice Award rehearsals, walk into something called the slime super soakers and walk out green shells of human beings

To be fair, when I had signed up to be Slimed — yes, as in receive a Nickelodeon hug — I was told that comfortable, disposable clothing would be a wise choice. Workout gear, flat shoes, etc

SEE ALSO: Don't worry: Nickelodeon will take good care of your beloved TV memories

Nay, I thought at the time. (I frequently speak to myself in Middle English). I wanted the green to stand out and to go into it completely free of protective gear. Raincoat? Please, I'm no chump Read more...

More about Nickelodeon, Kids Choice Awards, Television, and Entertainment

GetLinks raises $500K to connect tech talent with employers in Southeast Asia

 GetLinks, a Bangkok-based startup focused on helping tech companies find and hire top talent, has closed a $500,000 seed round. Read More

Amazon Acquires Emvantage To Build Its Online Payment Platform In India

Amazon will acquire startup Emvantage to develop its Indian e-commerce site's payment platform. In a press announcement, Amazon said the Noida-based company's employees will start working for Amazon's payment team after the transaction is completed. Read More

Uber To Allow Some People With Nonviolent Convictions To Become Drivers

Uber is going to ease up on some of its driver-screening requirements in California in order to make room for people convicted of nonviolent crimes, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today. Under Proposition 47, a California ballot measure that passed in 2014, people with low-level, nonviolent felonies for things like theft, check fraud and possession of drugs can apply to remove… Read More

Elegance, illustrated: heliocentrism vs geocentrism

In a gorgeous animation, Malin Christersson shows how much simpler it is to plot out celestial mechanics when you assume that all the bodies in our solar system are in orbit around the sun, rather than the other way around. (more…)