<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6253088" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="david-benavidez">David Benavidez</keyword> pitched a near-shutout en route to an 11th round stoppage on Saturday.</li><li><keyword id="6362171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Boxing">Boxing</keyword>'s rising star then issued challenges to Saul Alvarez, Caleb Plant, and Jermall Charlo.</li><li>Watch the finish right here.</li></ul><p>David Benavidez bludgeoned <keyword id="291366" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ronald-Ellis">Ronald Ellis</keyword> on Saturday before challenging <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/saul-alvarez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez</a>, Caleb Plant, and Jermall Charlo to separate fist-fights.</p><p>The 24-year-old's performance demonstrated why he is considered one of <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/boxing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boxing</a>'s rising stars as he pitched a near-shutout at the behind-closed-doors Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, en route to a late stoppage.</p><p>But the fighter himself seemingly refuses to rest on his laurels. "I rate my performance pretty good but I know I could have done better," he said in a statement sent to Insider.</p><p>After surrendering the first round to Ellis, Benavidez appeared to find his distance and rhythm, and through a combination of hand-speed and merciless activity, out-landed Ellis in every round from the second onwards.</p><p>Benavidez put on a bigger show from round six onwards as he increased the pace further.</p><p>By the time the referee stepped in to award the fighter with a technical knockout victory, he had landed 341 of his 733 shots (47% accuracy) compared to the 184 from 670 (28%) from Ellis.</p><p>"Ronald Ellis is a tough competitor," said Benavidez. "I just hope the fans like what they saw. I threw a lot of combinations, punches in bunches.</p><p>"There were a lot of times I thought Ellis was going to quit but he didn't. Hats off to him, he's a tough guy.</p><p>"It was a little later than I wanted but a stoppage is still a stoppage. I hope the fans got a good show tonight."</p><p><strong>Watch Benavidez close the show right here:</strong></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-SHOWTIME Boxing  (@ShowtimeBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1370958594129158145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Benavidez then put his rivals on blast. "I want all the big guys," he said. "Speaking for the fans too, they would love to see me against all the big guys because as you can see, I love throwing punches.</p><p>"I love stopping people so me versus any big name would be an amazing fight. I want [Jermall] Charlo, Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant - all of them."</p><p>Victory advanced Benavidez's pro boxing record to 24 win (21 knockouts).</p>

David Benavidez bludgeons his boxing opponent before challenging Canelo, Plant, and Charlo to fist-fights

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6079fa8f283530008b493f-696/ex-trump-campaign-aide-manafort-in-1165-million-bail-deal-lawyer.jpg" border="0" alt="FILE PHOTO: Paul Manafort, former campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a bond hearing at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Paul Manafort, former campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a bond hearing at U.S. District Court in Washington" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Paul Manafort's high-stakes trial starts July 31, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-trial-mueller-what-to-know-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Manafort's trial</a> begins Tuesday into charges that include tax fraud, conspiracy, and failure to register as a foreign agent. </strong></li><li><strong>Federal judge Thomas Selby Ellis III is presiding over the high-profile trial. </strong></li><li><strong>Ellis has challenged special counsel Robert Mueller's intentions before, earning the praise of President Donald Trump. </strong></li></ul><hr /><p>President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/paul-manafort" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Manafort</a>'s trial begins today for more than 20 charges in the special counsel <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/russia-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robert Mueller's Russia investigation</a>, including tax and bank fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and failure to register as a foreign agent.</p><p>Presiding over the case is a senior judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, <a href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/ellis-thomas-selby-iii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thomas Selby Ellis III</a>, a.k.a. T.S. Ellis III. And he's already made headlines in the Russia investigation.</p><p>In May, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/legal-experts-react-to-judge-comments-manafort-flip-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellis challenged the scope</a> of the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lawyers-manafort-ruling-mueller-interview-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressing concerns</a> about the team's charges against Manafort that could be <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-judge-mueller-manafort-fraud-charges-20180504-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part of a larger plan</a> to bring down Trump.</p><p>"We don't want anyone in this country with unfettered power," Ellis said in court to federal investigators in May. "It's unlikely you're going to persuade me the special prosecutor has power to do anything he or she wants. The American people feel pretty strongly that no one has unfettered power."</p><p>A federal judge later <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-indictment-moves-forward-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowed the case</a> to go forward.</p><p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5691875/U-S-judge-questions-special-counsels-powers-Manafort-case.html#ixzz5EasDIer7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump praised</a> Ellis during a rally speech railing against the Russia investigation in May.</p><p>"Judge T.S. Ellis, who is really something very special, I hear, from many standpoints," Trump said. "He is a respected person."</p><p>Ellis previously ruled Manafort must be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-solitary-confinement-trial-mueller-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">held in solitary confinement</a> while awaiting trial and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manafort-trial-delayed-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted immunity</a> to five witnesses.</p><p>His role in the Russia investigation is just the latest event in a long career of high-profile cases.</p><h2>Ellis' past and other controversial cases he presided over</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6079528905f219008b4990-2000/rtx6dfgg.jpg" border="0" alt="paul manafort trial judge ts ellis iii courtroom virginia" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein" data-mce-caption="The US District Courthouse is seen ahead of Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort arriving for the opening day of his trial on bank and tax fraud charges stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, in Alexandria, Virginia on July 31, 2018." data-link="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZROU8EA5&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1597&amp;RH=960#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZROU8EA5&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1597&amp;RH=960&amp;POPUPPN=9&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1QQSFWPJ" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZROU8EA5&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1597&amp;RH=960#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZROU8EA5&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1597&amp;RH=960&amp;POPUPPN=9&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1QQSFWPJ">REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein</a></span></p><p class="caption">Cameras are set up outside the US District Courthouse ahead of the opening day of Manafort's trial in Alexandria, Virginia on July 31, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><a href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/ellis-thomas-selby-iii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellis</a> was born in 1940 in Bogota, Colombia, and immigrated to the US.</p><p>After a five-year stint in the US Navy, he completed degrees at Princeton University and Harvard Law. He also got a Diploma in Law from the University of Oxford in 1970, then joined a private practice in Richmond, Virginia. Ellis also briefly taught law at the College of William and Mary in the 1980s.</p><p>Former President Ronald Reagan nominated Ellis to the bench on July 1, 1987, and the Senate confirmed him on August 5, 1987.</p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-to-appear-in-virginia-court-in-bid-to-have-fraud-charges-dismissed/2018/05/03/c3b0acb0-4ca2-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html?utm_term=.0f7c844f7449" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post wrote</a> of Ellis in May that he "is known for his sense of humor, his long digressions and his demanding and somewhat confrontational attitude toward the lawyers who appear before him."</p><p>Ellis' background as an immigrant shaped his special interest in regularly presiding over several years of naturalization ceremonies and was the <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-trumps-favorite-judge/story?id=55249937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first to hold</a> such a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 2008.</p><p>According to an account from <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/11/AR2008061103575.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Washington Post,</a> Ellis teared up as he personally greeted each participant at the emotional outdoor ceremony, telling an Iraqi immigrant he was "honored that you chose to be an American."</p><p>Through his long career, Ellis has presided over controversial cases, and has often favored US institutions in questions over violent tangles abroad.</p><p>In 2009, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/T.S._Ellis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellis dismissed a lawsuit</a> against the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/28/AR2009082803782.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blackwater security firm</a> that accused them of allowing the killings of more than 20 Iraqi civilians. In 2006, he dismissed a case from a German citizen who said the CIA kidnapped and beat him. Ellis was also the sentencing judge in the case of American Taliban member <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-walker-lindh-will-go-free-in-2-years-what-then-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Walker Lindh</a>.</p><p>"In times of war, our country, chiefly through the executive branch, must often take exceptional steps to thwart the enemy," Ellis wrote in <a href="https://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/torture-claim-dismissed-under-state-secrets-privilege" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his 2006 decision</a>.</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woke-up-430-am-like-navy-seal-exercise-discipline-2018-7">I woke up at 4:30 a.m. for a week like a Navy SEAL</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/kHGm95OI-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Meet T.S. Ellis, the judge presiding over Paul Manafort's trial, who has challenged Mueller's intentions and earned Trump's praise

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pre-sale tickets for Taylor Swift's upcoming "Eras" tour went on sale Tuesday.</li><li>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and White House chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted criticisms at ticket sellers.</li></ul><p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Ticketmaster of monopolizing the ticket sales industry on Tuesday after the company's site crashed as Taylor Swift fans attempted to buy pre-sale tickets to the singer's upcoming "Eras" tour.</p><p>Ocasio-Cortez took the opportunity to voice longstanding concern about the 2010 merger of Ticketmaster, the ticket sales and distribution company, and Live Nation, the events promoter and venue operator, into Live Nation Entertainment.</p><p>"Daily reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, it's merger with LiveNation should never have been approved, and they need to be reigned in. Break them up," the Democratic congresswoman from New York tweeted.</p><p>Ticketmaster announced on Tuesday that it had seen "historically unprecedented demand" for tickets to Swift's shows as "millions" of fans flooded the site. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1592587226801934336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote><p>Congress previously urged the Biden administration to probe the "monopoly." In April of 2021, Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey, Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, Jerry Nadler of New York, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, and David Cicilline of Rhode Island sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Rebecca Slaughter, the acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission, asking them to revisit the merger, according to <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/news/live-nation-us-representatives-biden-investigation-1234955340/">Variety</a>.</p><p>"We write in support of strong antitrust enforcement by the Biden Administration, including the live event ticket sales marketplace," the letter begins. "The evidence is overwhelming that the 2010 merger between the world's largest concert promoter, Live Nation, and the biggest ticket provider, Ticketmaster, has strangled competition in live entertainment ticketing and harmed consumers and must be revisited."</p><p>White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain also chimed in on Tuesday, noting there were no site crashes when the administration's student loan forgiveness application launched.</p><p>"Over my years in the public and private sectors, I've had people tell me: If only the government could work like business. Well, the team at <a href="https://twitter.com/usedgov">@USEdgov</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/USDS">@USDS</a> built a Student Loan Forgiveness portal that processed 8 MILLION applications in the first 30 hours without a crash," Klain tweeted.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Ronald Klain  (@WHCOS) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1592567836475785217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote><p>Twitter users poked fun at the website crash. Social media influencer <a href="https://twitter.com/holy_schnitt/status/1592552002630086656?s=20&amp;t=8nXllZSFLdaR-7vBu5GNMg">Ellie Schnitt</a> tweeted, "When Taylor Swift wrote 'the great war' she was actually preparing us for the Battle of Ticketmaster." </p><p>Due to the "historically unprecedented demand" and difficulties with the website, Ticketmaster released a statement saying those who have already purchased tickets are good to go and those who are still waiting in the queue should "hang tight." The Capitol One onsale has been rescheduled for Wednesday, November 16 at 2:00 pm, local venue time.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Ticketmaster  (@Ticketmaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1592579481449168898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote><p>"It's me. Hi. I'm the problem it's me." — Taylor Swift, but also Ticketmaster after its site crashed.</p>

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for Ticketmaster-Live Nation 'monopoly' to be broken up in response to Taylor Swift pre-sale controversy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Organic is a designation run by the USDA to mark foods produced with fewer chemicals.</li><li>Organic items must meet strict guidelines around production.</li></ul><p>Walking through the grocery store these days, we're bombarded by labels. Foods boast that they are free-range, farm-fed or organic, all hinting at greater health and sustainability. Those labels might help you make a snap decision between brands, but if you're like most people you probably wonder what organic <em>really</em> means. </p><p>The mixed information, like whether or not organic <keyword id="11894142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="food" source="Orion">food</keyword> is healthier for people, what pesticides can be used, and whether it's worth the extra cost, has led to a lot of confusion for consumers. Here's what organic really means – and doesn't mean – and how you can use the label for more informed shopping. </p><h2><strong>What does "organic" actually mean?</strong></h2><p>"Organic refers to foods that are grown using specific practices and methods that aim to improve or maintain ecological balances between soil, plants and animals," says <a href="https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/people/francene-steinberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Francene Steinberg</a>, PhD, RDN, chair of <a href="https://caes.ucdavis.edu/research/dept/nut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of California Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Nutrition</a>.</p><p>Organic foods are grown with fewer synthetic pesticides and fertilizers than conventionally-grown foods, since these products can make soil <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-its-time-to-stop-punishing-our-soils-with-fertilizers-and-chemicals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less healthy</a> in the long term by depleting it. </p><p>Farms that are organic use best practices for the environment, like increasing diversity of crops and animals, or rotating how their fields are used. <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/05/17/organic-101-can-gmos-be-used-organic-products" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No genetically modified organisms</a> (GMOs) – products that have their DNA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">altered</a> by humans – can be used in organic items. That's because the organic label denotes that the food grown or produced is naturally occurring. Some people also believe GMOs are <a href="https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/will-gmos-hurt-my-body/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toxic</a>, although that hasn't been scientifically proven. </p><p>To be labeled organic, a product must meet regulatory requirements.</p><h2><strong>What does organic </strong><strong><em>not</em></strong><strong> mean?</strong></h2><p>There's a common misconception that organic means items are produced without  pesticides or fertilizers, says Steinberg. Organic farms <em>can</em> still use non-synthetic <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/10/27/organic-101-allowed-and-prohibited-substances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pesticides</a>. Some synthetic pesticides that have <a href="https://rodaleinstitute.org/blog/wait-organic-farmers-use-pesticides/#:~:text=Copper%20sulfate%20is%20one%20such,plant%20diseases%20as%20copper%20sulfate." target="_blank" rel="noopener">no natural alternatives</a>, like copper sulfate, can be allowed in organic farming. </p><p>"Organic doesn't mean 'pesticide-free,'" says <a href="https://christinejbyrne.com/about-christine-byrne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christine Byrne</a>, RD, a dietician nutritionist with <a href="https://christinejbyrne.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christine Byrne Nutrition</a>. Because of that, you should wash all produce, including organic items, before cooking with or consuming them. </p><p>"Organic doesn't mean that a product is more nutritious," she says. Some <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5658984/pdf/12940_2017_Article_315.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> indicates that organic items may have higher levels of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, but the difference was not enough to make an impact on health. </p><p>Finally, organic is not the same as "natural," says Ellis Hunnes. Organic has strict labeling requirements, while the "natural" label is less stringently <a href="https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/natural-and-organic-label-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defined</a> as a minimally processed product without artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.</p><h2><strong>What does it take for a product to get USDA certification?</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Wooden crate filled with lettuce on an organic farm." height="1413" width="1885" msid="91798527" hostid="261"></div><p>To be labeled organic in the US, products must meet qualifications required by the USDA's <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agricultural Marketing Service</a>. These guidelines are set to <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/organic-basics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promote</a> environmental health, says <a href="https://danaellishunnes.com/about-dana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana Ellis Hunnes</a>, PhD, RD, a senior dietitian at the <a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/reagan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center</a>. </p><p>Organic farms recycle resources, rotate how their lands are used to avoid resources being depleted, and conserve biodiversity by using genetically-diverse crops and livestock. </p><p>Outside the US, many other countries have <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/international-trade/how-does-usda-assess-organic-equivalency-other-countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">similar labeling programs</a>. The <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" target="_blank" rel="noopener">qualifications</a> for organic labeling in the US are tailored to different products:</p><h3><strong>Produce</strong></h3><p>Organic produce must be grown in soil that hasn't been exposed to prohibited substances — which includes most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides — for at least three years before they acquire an organic label. </p><h3><strong>Meat and animal products </strong></h3><p>The animal must have been raised in conditions that allowed for its normal behaviors, like grazing in a pasture. It must have been given organic feed and can't have been given antibiotics or hormones. </p><h3><strong>Processed foods</strong></h3><p>Multi-ingredient foods must contain organic ingredients, with a few exceptions like the enzymes needed for yogurts or baking soda in baked goods. They can't have artificial coloring, preservatives or flavors.</p><h3><strong>Organic farms</strong></h3><p>In order to be labeled organic, products must come from farmers and facilities that have been <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">certified organic</a>. To be certified, a producer must follow <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/10/10/organic-101-five-steps-organic-certification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five steps</a>:</p><p><strong>1.</strong> Create an organic system plan detailing how the farm or facility will adhere to guidelines. </p><p><strong>2.</strong> Implement the system and have it reviewed by a certifying agent. </p><p><strong>3.</strong> Be inspected. </p><p><strong>4.</strong> Have the inspection report reviewed by the certifying agent. </p><p><strong>5.</strong> Receive a decision. Have annual inspections and reviews.</p><h2><strong>Understanding the USDA's different organic standards</strong></h2><p>The USDA uses <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling#labeled%20no%20cert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four different organic labels</a>. Here's what each means:</p><p><strong>100 Percent Organic:</strong> This means all ingredients, except water and salt, are certified organic. This label is used most for raw, unprocessed, or minimally processed plant and animal products, like fresh produce or meat. </p><p><strong>Organic: </strong>Contains at least 95% organic ingredients (excluding salt and water)</p><p><strong>Made with Organic ___: </strong>Contains at least 70% organic ingredients. There are additional requirements that the non-organic ingredients must meet. </p><p><strong>Specific Organic Ingredients:</strong> This label is used for foods that contain less than 70% organic ingredients. It specifies which ingredients are organic, for example, "made with organic tomatoes."</p><h2><strong>Is buying organic healthier?</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Overhead shot of an array of fruits and vegetables on a wooden cutting board." height="1387" width="1849" msid="91798528" hostid="261"></div><p>The most important way to eat a healthier diet is to focus on a diverse diet. </p><p>"The bottom line is that eating a variety of nutritious foods regularly is the most important aspect of good nutrition," says Bryne. </p><p>Scientists are still trying to determine whether organic foods are healthier. Consumers are split, with <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/26/americans-are-divided-over-whether-eating-organic-foods-makes-for-better-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">45% of American adults</a> thinking organic produce is healthier than nonorganic produce.<strong> </strong></p><p>"Buying organic isn't necessarily healthier," says Byrne. "Organic food may be more nutritious in some cases, but not always."</p><p>For example, a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5658984/pdf/12940_2017_Article_315.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 scientific review</a> found "likely human benefit" from eating organic. The study showed that organic dairy and meats had more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but not enough more to have a nutritional impact. A key benefit of an organic diet may be reducing exposure to antibiotics, which can contribute to antibiotic resistant illnesses, the study also found. </p><p>And while many proponents of organic foods cite the lower amounts of pesticides as a reason for presuming organic foods are healthier, pesticides aren't a huge factor for health, says Byrne. </p><p>"Conventional foods contain these pesticide residues at such a low level that there likely isn't a huge health risk to consuming them," Byrne says. </p><h2><strong>Is organic better for the environment?</strong></h2><p>While the human health impacts of eating organic are still being proven, there's stronger evidence for the environmental benefit, says Steinberg. Organic farms generally <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61320-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improve</a> their soil quality with time, and the soil on organic farms has a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465994/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">healthier microbiome</a> – or good bacteria – which can increase production. </p><p>Opting for organic labels can serve as a shortcut to finding more sustainable foods. </p><p>"If you're looking for a quick and easy way to vet a product's sustainability, the organic label can be helpful," says Byrne. </p><p>However, "the conversation about organic foods can be limiting and should be expanded to consider additional factors around sustainable eating," says Steinberg.</p><p>If you want to increase sustainable eating, Steinberg suggests that you grow some items at home, shop for local items and buy in-season produce to cut down on the environmental impact of shipping, and choose minimally processed foods since they use less energy in production.  </p><h2><strong>Should you buy organic? </strong></h2><p>Buying organic food may have health benefits for people and the environment. Organic produce has become more common, but it's still <a href="https://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-faq/oa-faq5/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more expensive</a> than conventionally-grown produce, and not accessible to everyone, which is significant since <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics/#insecure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% of American households</a> are food insecure. </p><p>"The debate over whether organic food is better than conventional has its place, but it's far more important that we focus on increasing food access overall, so that people can meet their basic nutrient needs," says Ellis Hunnes. </p><p>People who are unable to eat organic "will not be sacrificing personal nutritional health," says Steinberg. Conventionally-grown produce and farm products are still healthy, at a lower cost. However, if you have extra income you can vote with your dollar by buying organic, showing support for more sustainable environmental practices, she says. </p><h2><strong>Insider's takeaway </strong></h2><p>Organic foods and products adhere to production guidelines set by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. The guidelines dictate practices and products that can be used to make items that are labeled organic. </p><p>Although many people equate organic with healthy, research is unclear about the health impacts of an organic diet. Shopping organic is a personal choice, but other decisions — like buying from local farmers or making sure to get your recommended fruit and vegetables servings — can have a bigger impact on environmental and personal health.</p>

What does 'organic' actually mean? Experts explain what's behind the USDA label

<p>Prices are accurate at the time of publication.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Organic is a designation run by the USDA to mark foods produced with fewer chemicals.</li><li>Organic items must meet strict guidelines around production.</li></ul><p>Walking through the grocery store these days, we're bombarded by labels. Foods boast that they are free-range, farm-fed or organic, all hinting at greater health and sustainability. Those labels might help you make a snap decision between brands, but if you're like most people you probably wonder what organic <em>really</em> means. </p><p>The mixed information, like whether or not organic <keyword id="11894142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="food" source="Orion">food</keyword> is healthier for people, what pesticides can be used, and whether it's worth the extra cost, has led to a lot of confusion for consumers. Here's what organic really means – and doesn't mean – and how you can use the label for more informed shopping. </p><h2><strong>What does "organic" actually mean?</strong></h2><p>"Organic refers to foods that are grown using specific practices and methods that aim to improve or maintain ecological balances between soil, plants and animals," says <a href="https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/people/francene-steinberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Francene Steinberg</a>, PhD, RDN, chair of <a href="https://caes.ucdavis.edu/research/dept/nut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of California Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Nutrition</a>.</p><p>Organic foods are grown with fewer synthetic pesticides and fertilizers than conventionally-grown foods, since these products can make soil <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-its-time-to-stop-punishing-our-soils-with-fertilizers-and-chemicals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less healthy</a> in the long term by depleting it. </p><p>Farms that are organic use best practices for the environment, like increasing diversity of crops and animals, or rotating how their fields are used. <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/05/17/organic-101-can-gmos-be-used-organic-products" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No genetically modified organisms</a> (GMOs) – products that have their DNA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">altered</a> by humans – can be used in organic items. That's because the organic label denotes that the food grown or produced is naturally occurring. Some people also believe GMOs are <a href="https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/will-gmos-hurt-my-body/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toxic</a>, although that hasn't been scientifically proven. </p><p>To be labeled organic, a product must meet regulatory requirements.</p><h2><strong>What does organic </strong><strong><em>not</em></strong><strong> mean?</strong></h2><p>There's a common misconception that organic means items are produced without  pesticides or fertilizers, says Steinberg. Organic farms <em>can</em> still use non-synthetic <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/10/27/organic-101-allowed-and-prohibited-substances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pesticides</a>. Some synthetic pesticides that have <a href="https://rodaleinstitute.org/blog/wait-organic-farmers-use-pesticides/#:~:text=Copper%20sulfate%20is%20one%20such,plant%20diseases%20as%20copper%20sulfate." target="_blank" rel="noopener">no natural alternatives</a>, like copper sulfate, can be allowed in organic farming. </p><p>"Organic doesn't mean 'pesticide-free,'" says <a href="https://christinejbyrne.com/about-christine-byrne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christine Byrne</a>, RD, a dietician nutritionist with <a href="https://christinejbyrne.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christine Byrne Nutrition</a>. Because of that, you should wash all produce, including organic items, before cooking with or consuming them. </p><p>"Organic doesn't mean that a product is more nutritious," she says. Some <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5658984/pdf/12940_2017_Article_315.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> indicates that organic items may have higher levels of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, but the difference was not enough to make an impact on health. </p><p>Finally, organic is not the same as "natural," says Ellis Hunnes. Organic has strict labeling requirements, while the "natural" label is less stringently <a href="https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/natural-and-organic-label-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defined</a> as a minimally processed product without artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.</p><h2><strong>What does it take for a product to get USDA certification?</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Wooden crate filled with lettuce on an organic farm." height="1413" width="1885" msid="91818813" hostid="261"></div><p>To be labeled organic in the US, products must meet qualifications required by the USDA's <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agricultural Marketing Service</a>. These guidelines are set to <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/organic-basics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promote</a> environmental health, says <a href="https://danaellishunnes.com/about-dana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana Ellis Hunnes</a>, PhD, RD, a senior dietitian at the <a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/reagan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center</a>. </p><p>Organic farms recycle resources, rotate how their lands are used to avoid resources being depleted, and conserve biodiversity by using genetically-diverse crops and livestock. </p><p>Outside the US, many other countries have <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/international-trade/how-does-usda-assess-organic-equivalency-other-countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">similar labeling programs</a>. The <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" target="_blank" rel="noopener">qualifications</a> for organic labeling in the US are tailored to different products:</p><h3><strong>Produce</strong></h3><p>Organic produce must be grown in soil that hasn't been exposed to prohibited substances — which includes most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides — for at least three years before they acquire an organic label. </p><h3><strong>Meat and animal products </strong></h3><p>The animal must have been raised in conditions that allowed for its normal behaviors, like grazing in a pasture. It must have been given organic feed and can't have been given antibiotics or hormones. </p><h3><strong>Processed foods</strong></h3><p>Multi-ingredient foods must contain organic ingredients, with a few exceptions like the enzymes needed for yogurts or baking soda in baked goods. They can't have artificial coloring, preservatives or flavors.</p><h3><strong>Organic farms</strong></h3><p>In order to be labeled organic, products must come from farmers and facilities that have been <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">certified organic</a>. To be certified, a producer must follow <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/10/10/organic-101-five-steps-organic-certification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five steps</a>:</p><p><strong>1.</strong> Create an organic system plan detailing how the farm or facility will adhere to guidelines. </p><p><strong>2.</strong> Implement the system and have it reviewed by a certifying agent. </p><p><strong>3.</strong> Be inspected. </p><p><strong>4.</strong> Have the inspection report reviewed by the certifying agent. </p><p><strong>5.</strong> Receive a decision. Have annual inspections and reviews.</p><h2><strong>Understanding the USDA's different organic standards</strong></h2><p>The USDA uses <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling#labeled%20no%20cert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four different organic labels</a>. Here's what each means:</p><p><strong>100 Percent Organic:</strong> This means all ingredients, except water and salt, are certified organic. This label is used most for raw, unprocessed, or minimally processed plant and animal products, like fresh produce or meat. </p><p><strong>Organic: </strong>Contains at least 95% organic ingredients (excluding salt and water)</p><p><strong>Made with Organic ___: </strong>Contains at least 70% organic ingredients. There are additional requirements that the non-organic ingredients must meet. </p><p><strong>Specific Organic Ingredients:</strong> This label is used for foods that contain less than 70% organic ingredients. It specifies which ingredients are organic, for example, "made with organic tomatoes."</p><h2><strong>Is buying organic healthier?</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Overhead shot of an array of fruits and vegetables on a wooden cutting board." height="1387" width="1849" msid="91818816" hostid="261"></div><p>The most important way to eat a healthier diet is to focus on a diverse diet. </p><p>"The bottom line is that eating a variety of nutritious foods regularly is the most important aspect of good nutrition," says Bryne. </p><p>Scientists are still trying to determine whether organic foods are healthier. Consumers are split, with <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/26/americans-are-divided-over-whether-eating-organic-foods-makes-for-better-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">45% of American adults</a> thinking organic produce is healthier than nonorganic produce.<strong> </strong></p><p>"Buying organic isn't necessarily healthier," says Byrne. "Organic food may be more nutritious in some cases, but not always."</p><p>For example, a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5658984/pdf/12940_2017_Article_315.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 scientific review</a> found "likely human benefit" from eating organic. The study showed that organic dairy and meats had more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but not enough more to have a nutritional impact. A key benefit of an organic diet may be reducing exposure to antibiotics, which can contribute to antibiotic resistant illnesses, the study also found. </p><p>And while many proponents of organic foods cite the lower amounts of pesticides as a reason for presuming organic foods are healthier, pesticides aren't a huge factor for health, says Byrne. </p><p>"Conventional foods contain these pesticide residues at such a low level that there likely isn't a huge health risk to consuming them," Byrne says. </p><h2><strong>Is organic better for the environment?</strong></h2><p>While the human health impacts of eating organic are still being proven, there's stronger evidence for the environmental benefit, says Steinberg. Organic farms generally <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61320-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improve</a> their soil quality with time, and the soil on organic farms has a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465994/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">healthier microbiome</a> – or good bacteria – which can increase production. </p><p>Opting for organic labels can serve as a shortcut to finding more sustainable foods. </p><p>"If you're looking for a quick and easy way to vet a product's sustainability, the organic label can be helpful," says Byrne. </p><p>However, "the conversation about organic foods can be limiting and should be expanded to consider additional factors around sustainable eating," says Steinberg.</p><p>If you want to increase sustainable eating, Steinberg suggests that you grow some items at home, shop for local items and buy in-season produce to cut down on the environmental impact of shipping, and choose minimally processed foods since they use less energy in production.  </p><h2><strong>Should you buy organic? </strong></h2><p>Buying organic food may have health benefits for people and the environment. Organic produce has become more common, but it's still <a href="https://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-faq/oa-faq5/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more expensive</a> than conventionally-grown produce, and not accessible to everyone, which is significant since <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics/#insecure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% of American households</a> are food insecure. </p><p>"The debate over whether organic food is better than conventional has its place, but it's far more important that we focus on increasing food access overall, so that people can meet their basic nutrient needs," says Ellis Hunnes. </p><p>People who are unable to eat organic "will not be sacrificing personal nutritional health," says Steinberg. Conventionally-grown produce and farm products are still healthy, at a lower cost. However, if you have extra income you can vote with your dollar by buying organic, showing support for more sustainable environmental practices, she says. </p><h2><strong>Insider's takeaway </strong></h2><p>Organic foods and products adhere to production guidelines set by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. The guidelines dictate practices and products that can be used to make items that are labeled organic. </p><p>Although many people equate organic with healthy, research is unclear about the health impacts of an organic diet. Shopping organic is a personal choice, but other decisions — like buying from local farmers or making sure to get your recommended fruit and vegetables servings — can have a bigger impact on environmental and personal health.</p>

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab4732de082e52e008b459c-2000/gettyimages-163555748small.jpg" border="0" alt="Robert Mueller" data-mce-source="Alex Wong/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Robert Mueller." /><p class="source"><span>Alex Wong/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Robert Mueller.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>A federal judge in Virginia could dismiss one of the special counsel Robert Mueller's indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.</strong></li><li><strong>If that happens, President Donald Trump's lawyers are considering using the decision to make the case that the Russia investigation as a whole is illegitimate.</strong></li><li><strong>Trump's lawyers are particularly interested in US District Judge T.S. Ellis III's suggestion last week that prosecutors charged Manafort to get him to flip against Trump.</strong></li><li><strong>A source with direct knowledge of the legal team's thinking said Trump's lawyers are keen on seeing "how true" and "how real" that assertion is to help them determine "the good faith of the special counsel and ultimately the legitimacy of the investigation."</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>A federal judge in Virginia is currently weighing whether to dismiss the special counsel Robert Mueller's criminal case against Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign. If he tosses out the case, Trump's lawyers are considering using the decision to cast the Russia investigation as a whole as illegitimate, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the legal team's thought process.</p><p>Manafort is currently the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/judge-ts-ellis-mueller-manafort-flip-trump-russia-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subject of two indictments from Mueller's office</a>. One, brought in Virginia, charges him with tax and bank fraud connected to his lobbying work for the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian interests in Ukraine.</p><p><span>While the Virginia indictment against Manafort does not relate directly to Trump, one person said the president's lawyers are particularly interested in US District Judge T.S. Ellis III's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/judge-ts-ellis-mueller-manafort-flip-trump-russia-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggestion last week</a> that prosecutors brought charges against Manafort to pressure him to flip against Trump.</span></p><p><span>Trump's lawyers view the judge's comments as "very damaging" to Mueller's argument and as the primary factor that will help the legal team determine "whether or not the special counsel's investigation is legitimate," said this person, who requested anonymity so as to not get ahead of legal proceedings.</span></p><p>Manafort's lawyers' push for the case's dismissal hinges on the argument that the crimes do not directly relate to Mueller's core mandate - investigating whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow - so he was not authorized to charge Manafort with them.</p><p>At the center of the debate is a memo Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein sent to Mueller three months after appointing him.</p><p>According to a redacted copy of the memo released last month, Rosenstein authorized Mueller to investigate Manafort's contacts with Russian officials during the campaign, as well as whether he <span>committed any crimes "arising out of payments he received from the Ukrainian government before and during the tenure of President Viktor Yanukovych."</span></p><p><span>Ellis ordered Mueller's team last week to turn over an unredacted copy of the memo so he can determine whether the special counsel was authorized to indict Manafort in the Virginia case. Business Insider <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lawyers-manafort-ruling-mueller-interview-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a> that Trump's lawyers are "anxious" for Ellis's final decision on the matter.</span></p><p>The president has long cast doubt on the merits of the Russia investigation, calling the probe a "witch hunt" and a "hoax."</p><h2>How the Manafort ruling could apply to Trump's case</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5acd223cf41c7825008b4ede-2400/rtx4zbyf.jpg" border="0" alt="Paul Manafort" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Paul Manafort." /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Paul Manafort.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>If Ellis determines that Mueller was not properly authorized to charge Manafort in the Virginia case, Trump's lawyers also plan to dig into whether the decision covers Trump with respect to his status in the Russia probe, according to one person with direct knowledge of the Trump team's thought process.</p><p>Trump is currently the focal point of an obstruction-of-justice case Mueller has been building since last May, shortly after the president fired FBI Director James Comey.</p><p>Trump suggested to NBC's Lester Holt that "this Russia thing" was a factor in his decision.</p><p>The special counsel is also probing Trump's role in crafting an initially misleading statement his son, Donald Trump Jr., released following reports that about a Trump Tower meeting with two Russian lobbyists offering dirt on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.</p><p>And Mueller is interested in gauging whether Trump played any role in the Russia-backed campaign to hack into the Democratic National Committee and disseminate stolen materials leading up to the 2016 election.</p><p>But Ellis pulled few punches last week when he grilled Mueller's team about whether they were targeting Manafort to gain leverage over the president.</p><p><span>"I don't see what relation this indictment has with what the special counsel is authorized to investigate," </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/04/mueller-challenged-manafort-case-568935">Ellis told prosecutors</a><span>. "You don't really care about Mr. Manafort's bank fraud. ... What you really care about is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump or lead to his prosecution or impeachment."</span></p><p><span>Ellis later quipped: "The vernacular is 'to sing.'"</span></p><p><span>Ellis was appointed to the court by former President Ronald Reagan, and legal experts said that while it is common for longtime judges to express their opinions more freely, it is unlikely Ellis will ultimately use prosecutors' motives as the basis to dismiss the Manafort case.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-next-north-south-korea-peace-treaty-2018-4">What will probably happen with the North and South Korean peace treaty</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/WjFBmKHL-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Trump's legal team thinks unlikely developments in Paul Manafort's case could flip Mueller's investigation on its head

Meet Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova, the Republican power couple caught up in the FBI's Rudy Giuliani investigation

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547cb1bf6bb3f73d53b7ee2b-664-498/ron-gilbert.png" border="0" alt="Ron Gilbert"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Ellie Gilbert</span></p><p class="caption">The last photo Gilbert ever took with his sons, on the Thanksgiving before his murder.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Since 2010, Jeff Abraham has had a stake in <a href="http://www.promescent.com/">Promescent</a>, an over-the-counter spray intended to help men overcome premature ejaculation. He invested $100,000 and wrote business plans for the company that made it, Absorption Pharmaceuticals.</p>
<p>But after the January 2013 murder of the product's inventor, Ronald Gilbert, a respected urologist and one of Abraham's dearest friends, he ended up taking over the company. Initially, Abraham wanted to sell it.</p>
<p>"I'd wake up in the morning and try to convince myself that [Ron's death] was a dream," he tells Business Insider. "So I decided that I was going to take an offer or have someone else come run the company."</p>
<p>The day that Abraham, 57, decided to let go of the company, he Googled Ron's name. The first several results told the story of his friend's untimely death.</p>
<p>"Ron went from being an inventor, a father, a husband, to the guy shot by a crazy," Abraham says. "He was a statistic. That really bothered me."</p>
<p>Seeing the news coverage nudged Abraham to change his mind about selling, at least until after he built up the company more. It wasn't long before his interest grew into an obsession. He says he now works 16 hours a day, every day of the year.</p>
<p>"I can't change what happened, but I have the power to make Ron's legacy a success and take care of his wife and kids," Abraham says.</p>
<p>Together, Gilbert's family owns about 15% of Absorption Pharmaceuticals, and Abraham owns 36%. The rest, and portions of the eventual profit, is split among three other employees and the two men (aside from Gilbert) on <a href="https://www.google.com/patents/WO2010085589A3?cl=en&amp;dq=ininventor:ronald+ininventor:gilbert&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=xdC2VOj7GojgsASykoCIBg&amp;ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA">the patent</a>, numerous urologists, and a few key investors.</p>
<p>Over a year ago, Abraham, with approval from Absorption's board, turned down an offer of more than $30 million. The buyer, a top pharmaceutical brand, wanted to turn Promescent into a prescription drug. But that plan didn't mesh with Abraham's vision.</p>
<p>"This product needs to be on the shelf at every Walgreens, CVS, and 7-Eleven right next to the condoms," he says. "This is a lifestyle product."</p>
<p>Right now, Abraham is in talks with multiple companies. He demands that any potential buyer preserve his friend's legacy.</p>
<p>"I will not sell this company unless the new website includes a little memoriam about Ron," Abraham says. "That's nonnegotiable. I don't care if someone offers me a billion dollars."</p>
<h3>A Case Of Mistaken Identity</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545c2ae9eab8ea384930c1bf-559-419/stanwood-fred-elkus.jpg" border="0" alt="Stanwood Fred Elkus"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff's Department</span></p><p class="caption">Stanwood Fred Elkus, the man who allegedly shot and killed Ron Gilbert.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>On the afternoon of Jan. 28, 2013, Ron's wife, Ellie Gilbert, began to feel strange. She was visiting New York for a wedding but could barely walk down the street.</p>
<p>"It was really weird," she says. "Something I've never felt before, like my soul was leaving me."</p>
<p>After dragging herself back to her hotel room, she recieved a call from her husband's partner at their private urology practice. She knew something terrible had happened. </p>
<p>Stanwood Fred Elkus, a 75-year-old veteran, had allegedly made an appointment earlier that day under a fake name at Ron's practice, Orange Coast Urology, in Newport Beach, California. Elkus let a nurse take his blood pressure, but when Ron entered, he allegedly fired nine shots into the doctor's torso and chest. Ron didn't survive.</p>
<p>"I can't even put it into words," Abraham says. "Ron was the absolute most pure human being I've ever met. He was the kind of guy you'd want your sister to marry."</p>
<p>The year before Ron's death, Abraham crashed his bicycle and broke his collarbone in two places. Over the next few months of his recovery, Ron brought him lunch and dinner and took him to hockey games to get him out of the house. "At least once a day Ron would call or text me asking how the pain was and if there was anything I needed," Abraham says.</p>
<p>Elkus, the alleged shooter, apparently blamed Ron for a botched prostate surgery he underwent more than 20 years ago at a Veterans Association hospital. While Ron did work there, no records indicate he performed Elkus' operation, <a href="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/05/stanwood_fred_elkus_ronald_gil.php">according to the Gilberts' attorney</a>, Ed Susolik. He claims another urologist with a similar name likely treated Elkus.</p>
<p>Elkus, who worked as a barber after his time in the military, struggled for years with prostate problems and other health issues, reportedly telling a neighbor shortly before Ron's death that he "<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/doctor-409585-beach-police.html">might not be alive much longer</a>." Elkus later pleaded <a href="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2014/08/stanwood_fred_elkus_insanity_plea_ronald_gilbert.php">not guilty by reason of insanity</a>, with his lawyers submitting a PET scan showing "neurological and psychological disabilities.</p>
<p>Then, 11 days after Ron's murder, Elkus, who is still awaiting trial, allegedly gave away seven properties he owned from behind bars in order to avoid their inclusion in the likely civil case from Ron's family, the <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/04/local/la-me-ln-doctor-killed-20130404">Los Angeles Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>And the family did end up filing a civil suit against Elkus, "because evil needs to addressed," Ellie says. "But even if I got all the money in the world, nothing will bring back my husband."</p>
<p>The day after the funeral, she says, her family lost its health insurance, and she wouldn't see any more profit from her husband's business. "I didn't get one penny out of the medical practice, the only form of livelihood that my husband had," Ellie explains. So far, all profits from <a href="http://www.promescent.com/">Promescent</a> have gone back into the company, according to Abraham. "I have to really, really watch every penny," Ellie says.</p>
<p>Like Abraham, Ellie wants to use Promescent to preserve Ron's legacy. "Throughout his life, the well-being of his patients was a priority for him," she says. "People will benefit from [Promescent] - for pleasure or for need."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547cb23169bedd7425b2c11d-637-478/ron-gilbert-1.png" border="0" alt="Ron Gilbert" width="600"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Ellie Gilbert</span></p><p class="caption">The last photo Ron and Ellie took together, on vacation in New York City.</p></img></div><p></p></div></p>
<h3>The Next Viagra?</h3>
<p>Abraham started as Ron's patient, and the two quickly became friends. One day, the doctor gave Abraham a sample of his new creation, Promescent.</p>
<p>"It was insane," Abraham says. "At that point my eyes spun around in my head like cash registers." He half-jokingly talked to Ron about changing the name to "Have Sex Like A Porn Star."</p>
<p>Soon after, Abraham asked for 10 more bottles.</p>
<p>"Ron goes, 'Where are <em>you</em> going this weekend?'" Abraham laughs. But he only wanted to see if others would have the same response as he did.</p>
<p>Abraham gave samples to friends, family, even his son, a "great-looking kid" at UC Santa Barbara. Everyone reacted the same way, according to Abraham: "What is this, and where can I get more of it?"</p>
<p>Since Abraham invested his $100,000, he says the company has sold 221,000 bottles of Promescent in 338 independent pharmacies. A standard bottle <a href="https://www.promescent.com/order">sells</a> for $79.95, while the trial size ("convenient pocket-size for men on the go!!") run $19.95.</p>
<p>"I said it had the same potential as Viagra," he recalls. "Three years ago people laughed at me. They're not laughing anymore."</p>
<p>At this point, Abraham says he's invested $1.5 million in the company and that its sales hit $1.2 million this year, which he expects to increase by 25% in next year. That figure is still a far cry from Viagra, which peaked at about $2 billion in annual sales. Still, the market for this kind of drug could be just as large.</p>
<p>While ED, or erectile dysfunction, gets more press, estimates show that PE, or premature ejaculation, affects more men.</p>
<p>PE ranges from a dire sexual issue to a common complaint in the bedroom. A definition is tough to pin down. The A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, hosted by the <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001524.htm"> National Institutes of Health</a>, says that any man who orgasms before he or his partner would like suffers from PE. The <a href="http://www.issm.info/education-for-all/featured-education/">International Society for Sexual Medicine</a> imposes time limits: A male has to ejaculate within one minute of penetration for "lifelong PE" and within three minutes for "acquired PE." Regardless, <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premature-ejaculation/basics/definition/con-20031160">most experts agree</a> that nearly one in three men suffer from some form of PE.</p>
<p>Both Abraham and Absorption's chief medical officer, Laurence Levine, frequently mention a phenomenon called "the arousal gap." While the data varies, Promescent's marketing materials claim men last an average of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19627471">five to six minutes during intercourse</a>, while women, on average, take 17 minutes to reach orgasm. "That is exactly correct," <a href="http://columbiaurology.org/about/physicians/peter_j_stahl_md.html">Peter Stahl</a>, the director of male reproductive and sexual medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, told Business Insider.</p>
<p>"That's why there are 8 million vibrators in the world," Abraham jokes.</p>
<p>Ron's motivation to create Promescent stemmed from listening to his patients' struggles to maintain erections. He would come home from work, upset that he couldn't help more, Ellie says. "It is truly a problem," she says. "Intimacy does make for a better relationship. Everything connects."</p>
<p>And yet another market for Promescent exists - the recreational one. "I have friends who are in their 50s who eat Viagra and Cialis like they're M&amp;M's," Abraham says. <a href="http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/3-ways-to-last-longer-in-bed">Studies show</a> that these medications can make men last longer in bed. Promescent, Abraham says, fixes a similar issue and doesn't enter the bloodstream.</p>
<h3>How It Works</h3>
<p>As advertised, about 1,100 urologists in the US recommend FDA-approved Promescent. Of those, "1,080 .... have no financial gain and involvement with the company," Abraham says. The spray, a lidocaine-based topical liquid, works much like Orajel does on the gums. Promescent essentially desensitizes the penis to prolong intercourse.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547f6473eab8ea2479ee9b2d-1200-6000/promescent product image - 4mb.jpg" border="0" alt="Promescent"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Absorption Pharmaceuticals </span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>"People freak out when I rub Promescent on my gums," Abraham says, which is how he demonstrates the product's safety. But a man simply wouldn't rub Orajel on his penis before sex - although he could. The numbing effect would overwhelm him, making sex less enjoyable, and the medication would likely transfer to his partner, ruining the experience for both.</p>
<p>Promescent supposedly avoids that. The formula changes the lidocaine from a crystal into an oil-aqueous form, which can penetrate the outer layer of the penis, much like how good lotion absorbs into the skin. After 10 minutes, according to Abraham, the desensitizing effects won't transfer to the man's partner.</p>
<p>While Promescent's clinical trials won't be complete until 2015, Abraham says rave reviews fill his inbox almost daily. He sent us a few of his favorites.</p>
<p>Nathan, a 42-year-old man married for 19 years, called his experience with Promescent "the best sex" he and his wife have had since college. Another man, Kevin, 53, has suffered from PE his entire life. "My life has changed," he wrote in an email to the Promescent team. "It simply works."</p>
<p>Josh Gondelman, a writer for New York Magazine's The Cut, had less positive "<a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/03/penis-numbing-spray-nearly-ruined-my-sex-life.html">adventures with 'penis-numbing' spray</a>." "Masturbating felt like listening to a Phish song; I was ten minutes in with no end in sight, just a lot of aimless noodling. After twenty fruitless minutes, I gave up, limp from exhaustion and local anesthesia," he wrote.</p>
<p>As Abraham immediately pointed out, though, Gondelman used 10 sprays - the maximum dosage for men who suffer from severe PE. Gondelman wrote that he tried again, using only three squirts, but that felt "like eating the last slice of pizza just because it's there."</p>
<p>Still, Ron and his wife tried Promescent and loved it. "You have to be your first guinea pig," Ellie says. "It was wonderful." Sometimes she didn't even know her husband, who didn't suffer from PE, was even using it. "It's very natural. There's nothing weird or uncomfortable about it," she says.</p>
<p>Promescent can even be used with condoms, Abraham adds.</p>
<p>But James Hamblin, a doctor and a senior editor at The Atlantic, is skeptical about the actual application. "The numbing spray idea immediately struck me as one that makes perfect sense to scientifically minded people but sounds absurd to everyone else," <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/when-is-ejaculation-premature-and-when-should-a-penis-be-made-numb/265071/">he wrote</a>. Getting out a "secret" vial of penis spray to numb up before sex could increase some men's anxieties about intimacy, he suggested.</p>
<h3>Challenges </h3>
<p>Part of the problem with creating a solution for PE is identifying the causes. "Male sexual function is a complex neurobiological phenomenon, and sexual dysfunctions tend to coexist," says <a href="http://columbiaurology.org/about/physicians/peter_j_stahl_md.html">Stahl</a>, the Columbia University urology professor we spoke with.</p>
<p>For example, a man with erectile dysfunction could experience so much anxiety about developing and maintaining an erection that, when he does, his sexual experience ends prematurely. Conversely: "The man knows if he gets an erection, it'll lead to an unsatisfactory conclusion, so he develops anxiety and fails to get one at all," Abraham says.</p>
<p>The medical community generally considers premature ejaculation to have psychological components, with some patients even being treated with antidepressants. PE, however, afflicts men in two distinct variations, according to Stahl. "Lifelong premature ejaculation is a true biological early trigger point that usually requires lifelong therapy to prolong intravaginal ejaculatory latency [the amount of time someone lasts when having sex]," he says. "In contrast, acquired premature ejaculation that develops at a particular time is usually related to either anxiety or development of another sexual dysfunction."</p>
<p>As Ron, Promescent's creator, explains in the video below, "To tell a patient that may have sexual relations six to eight times a month, that they have to take an antidepressant, that is not specifically designed for this problem, every single day ... is a tough sell."</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hk3-1WGvZ6E"></iframe></p>
<p>Then <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dapoxetine">dapoxetine</a> came onto the scene. As the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) designed specifically for premature ejaculation, studies have shown users can take the oral pill on an as-needed basis, although at least <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1936309/">three to five hours</a> before intercourse.</p>
<p>Other topical sprays and creams exist, too, such as Stud100, EMLA, and EjectDelay. The one that's probably gotten the most press is TEMPE, a topical spray, with both licocaine and prilocaine, created by one of the makers of Viagra.</p>
<p>There are some clear differences between TEMPE and Promescent. For one thing, TEMPE is a prescription drug that has gone through clinical trials, while large-scale testing for over-the-counter Promescent is still underway. Another difference is that TEMPE isn't yet FDA-approved for PE, while Promescent conforms to the FDA's existing regulations for lidocaine, according to Levine.</p>
<p>Although clinical trials are expensive and time-consuming, Promescent must undergo them to receive approval from the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and International Society for Sexual Medicine, which would put the spray on the radars of the organization's 12,000 members, according to Abraham. </p>
<p>Even without those trials, Promescent remains the only FDA-approved, lidocaine-based spray with absorption technology that doesn't require a prescription. And absorption is key: It improves efficacy and reduces transference to partners, according to Stahl.</p>
<p>"My overall impression is that Promescent is an effective treatment for delaying ejaculation, and is particularly useful in men who do not want to take daily oral medication," he says.</p>
<h3>The Future Of Promescent</h3>
<p>With its unique formula, Promescent has started to attract media attention. In October 2013, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/101084377">CNBC</a> called Promescent the "new sex drug in town," and, in June, <a href="http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/have-sex-hour">Men's Health</a> magazine recommended it to last longer in bed. Of course, there's this article, too.</p>
<p>Abraham hopes this is just the beginning. And he still attributes the company's success to Ron.</p>
<p>"I'm not a religious person - I won't fake that," he says. "But there's karma here."</p>
<p>When he does sell the company, Abraham wants to open a scholarship fund at the University of California, Irvine, Ron's alma mater, in his name.</p>
<p>"When one of these companies turns Promescent into a billion-dollar product, everyone who buys it will see Ron's face," Abraham says. "I want people to understand how truly spectacular this man was."</p>

This Sex-Drug Inventor Was Murdered - Now His Best Friend Wants The Product In Every 7-Eleven

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/553ab0cbecad047c1b439041-1065-799/rajon-rondo-5.jpg" border="0" alt="rajon rondo"><p class="source"><span>Ronald Martinez/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Finding an ideal team fit for Rajon Rondo will be hard this summer.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>After playing less than ten minutes in the Dallas Mavericks' Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets, the Mavericks announced <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-back-injury-out-indefinitely-in-playoffs-2015-4">Rajon Rondo is out indefinitely with a back injury</a>.</p><p>Asked whether he could see Rondo ever wearing a Mavs uniform again, <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/590993779538034688">Mavs coach Rick Carlisle stunningly said</a>, "No, I don't."</p><p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dallas-mavericks-rajon-rondo-trade-disaster-2015-4">Rondo trade turned into a disaster for the Mavs</a>. He didn't fit with the team's fast-paced, spread offense and he didn't jell with Carlisle, with the two fighting during and after a February game over play-calling duties.</p><p>That Rondo couldn't fit into one of the best offenses in the NBA - one that exemplifies much of what a modern NBA offense looks like - spells trouble for his future. As a free agent this summer, finding an ideal team fit for Rondo is difficult, simply because he plays differently than most successful point guards do in 2015.</p><p>Seeing Rondo in a "pace-and-space" offensive system wasn't encouraging for his future. What played out on the court with the Mavs is the same thing people worried about upon his arrival: Rondo needs to dominate the ball to run an offense, and when he doesn't have the ball, defenses don't respect him as a shooting threat.</p><p>NBA offense has evolved rapidly over the last three years. Just look at the 2011-12 Boston Celtics, which made it to the Eastern Conference Finals (stats via NBA.com/Stats):</p><ul><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">That year - that last year of the Garnett-Pierce-Allen era - the Celtics played at the 22nd slowest pace in the NBA, averaging 92.6 possessions per game. In 2014-15, that would be dead-last in the NBA. </span></li><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 2011-12, 12 teams averaged over 20 three-pointers per game, with the Orlando Magic leading the league in attempts per game with 27. In 2014-15, 19 NBA teams took over 20 three-pointers per game, four of them averaging over 27 per game.</span></li><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 2011-12, 22 teams averaged 24 or more shot attempts from midrange. In 2014-15, nine teams averaged 24 or more shot attempts from midrange.</span></li></ul><p>In the span of three years, the NBA has realized that fast-paced offense with an abundance of three-pointers and shots at the rim is the most efficient way to score, while teams have begun to ignore less efficient midrange shots. </p><p>Enter Rondo. In 2011-12 he was an All-Star, averaging 12 points on 45% shooting, 24% from three, and 5 rebounds and 12 assists per game. He thrived for a Celtics team that played at the 22nd slowest pace, were third in the NBA in midrange attempts per game, and 24th in three-point attempts per game. For a championship contender, they pushed hard against emerging norms in offense, perhaps because they were elite defensively.</p><p>The Celtics also possessed three future Hall of Fame players in Pierce, Garnett, and Allen, all of whom were past their primes and willing to sacrifice on offense for the betterment of the team, thus handing Rondo the keys to the offense. And Rondo excelled, but it was in such a unique situation that it seems impossible to replicate in 2015.</p><p>Finding the 2014-15 equivalent of the 2011-12 Celtics is tough to do. Team that rank in the bottom third of the league in pace, bottom third in three-pointers attempted, and top third in midrange jumpers attempted simply don't have much success. Some teams that come close to those qualities: the Knicks, Lakers, Timberwolves, Bucks, Wizards, and Hornets, only one of whom finished above .500 this season. And none of them had three future Hall of Famers on their rosters.</p><p>So where does Rondo, a free agent for the first time on July 1, fit in the NBA?</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/553ab1a86bb3f71d47439059-1199-599/rajon-rondo-bench-4.jpg" border="0" alt="rajon rondo bench"><p class="source"><span>Ronald Martinez/Getty</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Ball-dominant point guards aren't uncommon in the NBA, but Rondo's type of ball dominance just doesn't seem to fit.</p><p>Using the NBA's player-tracking data, we can see how often players touch the ball. In 2014-15, Rondo ranked 15th in touches per game. Yet, among the 14 other players , Rondo was was lowest in points per touch, scoring only .08 points per touch. In comparison, the leader of that top 15 was Russell Westbrook with .309 points per touch - more than triple Rondo's output.</p><p>So what was Rondo doing with the ball? He didn't average an exceptional number of drives per game - he was 28th in the NBA. He only averaged 3.2 points per game on drives.</p><p>While he was first in the NBA in passes per game, he was eighth in the NBA in assists per game. Rondo was seventh in points created by assists with 18.7 points per game on the season, but this was also a function of him dominating the ball. Though he can set up good shots for teammates, he doesn't necessarily promote good ball movement. The NBA tracks secondary assists - assists given to a teammate after they received a pass from a player - and Rondo was only 45th, meaning he didn't set teammates up to make good passes.</p><p>And if Rondo doesn't have the ball? He's a non-threat on offense. Here was his shot chart for the year:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/553aab1beab8ea4215439041-468-446/shotchart_1429908211476.png" border="0" alt="Rondo shotchart"><p class="source"><span>Via NBA.com/Stats</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>According to NBA.com/Stats, Rondo shot just 34.6% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, but he shot a respectable 35.9% on three-pointers. The problem is, Rondo prefers to dominate the ball, and he only averaged 1.5 catch-and-shoot opportunities per game and 0.8 catch-and-shoot three-pointers per game. Where there's the potential for Rondo to leverage a weakness into a skill, he hasn't adapted.</p><p>So as Rondo enters a fairly strong free agent class, where does he fit? It's not a matter of <em>if</em> a team will sign him - somebody will - but it's who. What team can use a ball-dominant point guard who can't shoot? Theoretically, a team would need three very good shooters to surround Rondo to make up for his lack of spacing, but they'd also need players who don't dominate the ball, either.</p><p>The Celtics provided this with Pierce, Allen, and Garnett, who were happy to catch and shoot, but again, that team didn't have a great offense - they had a great defense. The Mavericks provided the spacing around Rondo, but he and Monta Ellis, who also commands the ball, didn't fit well next to each other.</p><p>Rondo is as unique a player as the NBA has ever seen, and he's undoubtedly gifted in several areas. Unfortunately, the times he's proven most successful with were in a system that is now outdated.</p><p>A team will still take a chance on Rondo, but the days of thinking he's a max player are over. In another era, Rondo could skate by without being an elite shooter and dominate the ball while teammates waited patiently.</p><p>But in an NBA where teams emphasize ball movement, three-pointers, and space, Rondo doesn't seem to fit. Unfortunately for Rondo, after the breakup of the Big Three Celtics, the NBA passed him by.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-floyd-mayweather-spends-his-money-boxing-2015-4">Here's how Floyd Mayweather spends his millions</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NiaGVpdDqdBR4NCmtjL5odLe14N1R4Hp" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NiaGVpdDqdBR4NCmtjL5odLe14N1R4Hp',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Rajon Rondo's game is suddenly outdated, and it could cost him millions in free agency

<p><img class="float_right" src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547cb1bf6bb3f73d53b7ee2b-664-498/ron-gilbert.png" border="0" alt="Ron Gilbert">Since 2010, Jeff Abraham has had a stake in <a href="http://www.promescent.com/">Promescent</a>, an over-the-counter spray intended to help men overcome premature ejaculation. He invested $100,000 and wrote business plans for the company that made it, Absorption Pharmaceuticals.</img></p>
<p>But after the January 2013 murder of the product's inventor, Ronald Gilbert, a respected urologist and one of Abraham's dearest friends, he ended up taking over the company. Initially, Abraham wanted to sell it.</p>
<p>"I'd wake up in the morning and try to convince myself that [Ron's death] was a dream," he tells Business Insider. "So I decided that I was going to take an offer or have someone else come run the company."</p>
<p>The day that Abraham, 57, decided to let go of the company, he Googled Ron's name. The first several results told the story of his friend's untimely death.</p>
<p>"Ron went from being an inventor, a father, a husband, to the guy shot by a crazy," Abraham says. "He was a statistic. That really bothered me."</p>
<p>Seeing the news coverage nudged Abraham to change his mind about selling, at least until after he built up the company more. It wasn't long before his interest grew into an obsession. He says he now works 16 hours a day, every day of the year.</p>
<p>"I can't change what happened, but I have the power to make Ron's legacy a success and take care of his wife and kids," Abraham says.</p>
<p>Together, Gilbert's family owns about 15% of Absorption Pharmaceuticals, and Abraham owns 36%. The rest, and portions of the eventual profit, is split among three other employees and the two men (aside from Gilbert) on <a href="https://www.google.com/patents/WO2010085589A3?cl=en&amp;dq=ininventor:ronald+ininventor:gilbert&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=xdC2VOj7GojgsASykoCIBg&amp;ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA">the patent</a>, numerous urologists, and a few key investors.</p>
<p>Over a year ago, Abraham, with approval from Absorption's board, turned down an offer of more than $30 million. The buyer, a top pharmaceutical brand, wanted to turn Promescent into a prescription drug. But that plan didn't mesh with Abraham's vision.</p>
<p>"This product needs to be on the shelf at every Walgreens, CVS, and 7-Eleven right next to the condoms," he says. "This is a lifestyle product."</p>
<p>Right now, Abraham is in talks with multiple companies. He demands that any potential buyer preserve his friend's legacy.</p>
<p>"I will not sell this company unless the new website includes a little memoriam about Ron," Abraham says. "That's nonnegotiable. I don't care if someone offers me a billion dollars."</p>
<h3>A Case Of Mistaken Identity</h3>
<p><img class="float_left" src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545c2ae9eab8ea384930c1bf-559-419/stanwood-fred-elkus.jpg" border="0" alt="Stanwood Fred Elkus">On the afternoon of Jan. 28, 2013, Ron's wife, Ellie Gilbert, began to feel strange. She was visiting New York for a wedding but could barely walk down the street.</img></p>
<p>"It was really weird," she says. "Something I've never felt before, like my soul was leaving me."</p>
<p>After dragging herself back to her hotel room, she recieved a call from her husband's partner at their private urology practice. She knew something terrible had happened. </p>
<p>Stanwood Fred Elkus, a 75-year-old veteran, had allegedly made an appointment earlier that day under a fake name at Ron's practice, Orange Coast Urology, in Newport Beach, California. Elkus let a nurse take his blood pressure, but when Ron entered, he allegedly fired nine shots into the doctor's torso and chest. Ron didn't survive.</p>
<p>"I can't even put it into words," Abraham says. "Ron was the absolute most pure human being I've ever met. He was the kind of guy you'd want your sister to marry."</p>
<p>The year before Ron's death, Abraham crashed his bicycle and broke his collarbone in two places. Over the next few months of his recovery, Ron brought him lunch and dinner and took him to hockey games to get him out of the house. "At least once a day Ron would call or text me asking how the pain was and if there was anything I needed," Abraham says.</p>
<p>Elkus, the alleged shooter, apparently blamed Ron for a botched prostate surgery he underwent more than 20 years ago at a Veterans Association hospital. While Ron did work there, no records indicate he performed Elkus' operation, <a href="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/05/stanwood_fred_elkus_ronald_gil.php">according to the Gilberts' attorney</a>, Ed Susolik. He claims another urologist with a similar name likely treated Elkus.</p>
<p>Elkus, who worked as a barber after his time in the military, struggled for years with prostate problems and other health issues, reportedly telling a neighbor shortly before Ron's death that he "<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/doctor-409585-beach-police.html">might not be alive much longer</a>." Elkus later pleaded <a href="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2014/08/stanwood_fred_elkus_insanity_plea_ronald_gilbert.php">not guilty by reason of insanity</a>, with his lawyers submitting a PET scan showing "neurological and psychological disabilities.</p>
<p>Then, 11 days after Ron's murder, Elkus, who is still awaiting trial, allegedly gave away seven properties he owned from behind bars in order to avoid their inclusion in the likely civil case from Ron's family, the <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/04/local/la-me-ln-doctor-killed-20130404">Los Angeles Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>And the family did end up filing a civil suit against Elkus, "because evil needs to addressed," Ellie says. "But even if I got all the money in the world, nothing will bring back my husband."</p>
<p>The day after the funeral, she says, her family lost its health insurance, and she wouldn't see any more profit from her husband's business. "I didn't get one penny out of the medical practice, the only form of livelihood that my husband had," Ellie explains. So far, all profits from <a href="http://www.promescent.com/">Promescent</a> have gone back into the company, according to Abraham. "I have to really, really watch every penny," Ellie says.</p>
<p>Like Abraham, Ellie wants to use Promescent to preserve Ron's legacy. "Throughout his life, the well-being of his patients was a priority for him," she says. "People will benefit from [Promescent] - for pleasure or for need."</p>
<p><img class="float_right" src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547cb23169bedd7425b2c11d-637-478/ron-gilbert-1.png" border="0" alt="Ron Gilbert" width="600" /></p>
<h3>The Next Viagra?</h3>
<p>Abraham started as Ron's patient, and the two quickly became friends. One day, the doctor gave Abraham a sample of his new creation, Promescent.</p>
<p>"It was insane," Abraham says. "At that point my eyes spun around in my head like cash registers." He half-jokingly talked to Ron about changing the name to "Have Sex Like A Porn Star."</p>
<p>Soon after, Abraham asked for 10 more bottles.</p>
<p>"Ron goes, 'Where are <em>you</em> going this weekend?'" Abraham laughs. But he only wanted to see if others would have the same response as he did.</p>
<p>Abraham gave samples to friends, family, even his son, a "great-looking kid" at UC Santa Barbara. Everyone reacted the same way, according to Abraham: "What is this, and where can I get more of it?"</p>
<p>Since Abraham invested his $100,000, he says the company has sold 221,000 bottles of Promescent in 338 independent pharmacies. A standard bottle <a href="https://www.promescent.com/order">sells</a> for $79.95, while the trial size ("convenient pocket-size for men on the go!!") run $19.95.</p>
<p>"I said it had the same potential as Viagra," he recalls. "Three years ago people laughed at me. They're not laughing anymore."</p>
<p>At this point, Abraham says he's invested $1.5 million in the company and that its sales hit $1.2 million this year, which he expects to increase by 25% in next year. That figure is still a far cry from Viagra, which peaked at about $2 billion in annual sales. Still, the market for this kind of drug could be just as large.</p>
<p>While ED, or erectile dysfunction, gets more press, estimates show that PE, or premature ejaculation, affects more men.</p>
<p>PE ranges from a dire sexual issue to a common complaint in the bedroom. A definition is tough to pin down. The A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, hosted by the <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001524.htm"> National Institutes of Health</a>, says that any man who orgasms before he or his partner would like suffers from PE. The <a href="http://www.issm.info/education-for-all/featured-education/">International Society for Sexual Medicine</a> imposes time limits: A male has to ejaculate within one minute of penetration for "lifelong PE" and within three minutes for "acquired PE." Regardless, <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premature-ejaculation/basics/definition/con-20031160">most experts agree</a> that nearly one in three men suffer from some form of PE.</p>
<p>Both Abraham and Absorption's chief medical officer, Laurence Levine, frequently mention a phenomenon called "the arousal gap." While the data varies, Promescent's marketing materials claim men last an average of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19627471">five to six minutes during intercourse</a>, while women, on average, take 17 minutes to reach orgasm. "That is exactly correct," <a href="http://columbiaurology.org/about/physicians/peter_j_stahl_md.html">Peter Stahl</a>, the director of male reproductive and sexual medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, told Business Insider.</p>
<p>"That's why there are 8 million vibrators in the world," Abraham jokes.</p>
<p>Ron's motivation to create Promescent stemmed from listening to his patients' struggles to maintain erections. He would come home from work, upset that he couldn't help more, Ellie says. "It is truly a problem," she says. "Intimacy does make for a better relationship. Everything connects."</p>
<p>And yet another market for Promescent exists - the recreational one. "I have friends who are in their 50s who eat Viagra and Cialis like they're M&amp;M's," Abraham says. <a href="http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/3-ways-to-last-longer-in-bed">Studies show</a> that these medications can make men last longer in bed. Promescent, Abraham says, fixes a similar issue and doesn't enter the bloodstream.</p>
<h3>How It Works</h3>
<p>As advertised, about 1,100 urologists in the US recommend FDA-approved Promescent. Of those, "1,080 .... have no financial gain and involvement with the company," Abraham says. The spray, a lidocaine-based topical liquid, works much like Orajel does on the gums. Promescent essentially desensitizes the penis to prolong intercourse.</p>
<p><img class="float_left" src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547f6473eab8ea2479ee9b2d-1200-6000/promescent product image - 4mb.jpg" border="0" alt="Promescent" /></p>
<p>"People freak out when I rub Promescent on my gums," Abraham says, which is how he demonstrates the product's safety. But a man simply wouldn't rub Orajel on his penis before sex - although he could. The numbing effect would overwhelm him, making sex less enjoyable, and the medication would likely transfer to his partner, ruining the experience for both.</p>
<p>Promescent supposedly avoids that. The formula changes the lidocaine from a crystal into an oil-aqueous form, which can penetrate the outer layer of the penis, much like how good lotion absorbs into the skin. After 10 minutes, according to Abraham, the desensitizing effects won't transfer to the man's partner.</p>
<p>While Promescent's clinical trials won't be complete until 2015, Abraham says rave reviews fill his inbox almost daily. He sent us a few of his favorites.</p>
<p>Nathan, a 42-year-old man married for 19 years, called his experience with Promescent "the best sex" he and his wife have had since college. Another man, Kevin, 53, has suffered from PE his entire life. "My life has changed," he wrote in an email to the Promescent team. "It simply works."</p>
<p>Josh Gondelman, a writer for New York Magazine's The Cut, had less positive "<a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/03/penis-numbing-spray-nearly-ruined-my-sex-life.html">adventures with 'penis-numbing' spray</a>." "Masturbating felt like listening to a Phish song; I was ten minutes in with no end in sight, just a lot of aimless noodling. After twenty fruitless minutes, I gave up, limp from exhaustion and local anesthesia," he wrote.</p>
<p>As Abraham immediately pointed out, though, Gondelman used 10 sprays - the maximum dosage for men who suffer from severe PE. Gondelman wrote that he tried again, using only three squirts, but that felt "like eating the last slice of pizza just because it's there."</p>
<p>Still, Ron and his wife tried Promescent and loved it. "You have to be your first guinea pig," Ellie says. "It was wonderful." Sometimes she didn't even know her husband, who didn't suffer from PE, was even using it. "It's very natural. There's nothing weird or uncomfortable about it," she says.</p>
<p>Promescent can even be used with condoms, Abraham adds.</p>
<p>But James Hamblin, a doctor and a senior editor at The Atlantic, is skeptical about the actual application. "The numbing spray idea immediately struck me as one that makes perfect sense to scientifically minded people but sounds absurd to everyone else," <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/when-is-ejaculation-premature-and-when-should-a-penis-be-made-numb/265071/">he wrote</a>. Getting out a "secret" vial of penis spray to numb up before sex could increase some men's anxieties about intimacy, he suggested.</p>
<h3>Challenges </h3>
<p>Part of the problem with creating a solution for PE is identifying the causes. "Male sexual function is a complex neurobiological phenomenon, and sexual dysfunctions tend to coexist," says <a href="http://columbiaurology.org/about/physicians/peter_j_stahl_md.html">Stahl</a>, the Columbia University urology professor we spoke with.</p>
<p>For example, a man with erectile dysfunction could experience so much anxiety about developing and maintaining an erection that, when he does, his sexual experience ends prematurely. Conversely: "The man knows if he gets an erection, it'll lead to an unsatisfactory conclusion, so he develops anxiety and fails to get one at all," Abraham says.</p>
<p>The medical community generally considers premature ejaculation to have psychological components, with some patients even being treated with antidepressants. PE, however, afflicts men in two distinct variations, according to Stahl. "Lifelong premature ejaculation is a true biological early trigger point that usually requires lifelong therapy to prolong intravaginal ejaculatory latency [the amount of time someone lasts when having sex]," he says. "In contrast, acquired premature ejaculation that develops at a particular time is usually related to either anxiety or development of another sexual dysfunction."</p>
<p>As Ron, Promescent's creator, explains in the video below, "To tell a patient that may have sexual relations six to eight times a month, that they have to take an antidepressant, that is not specifically designed for this problem, every single day ... is a tough sell."</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hk3-1WGvZ6E"></iframe></p>
<p>Then <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dapoxetine">dapoxetine</a> came onto the scene. As the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) designed specifically for premature ejaculation, studies have shown users can take the oral pill on an as-needed basis, although at least <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1936309/">three to five hours</a> before intercourse.</p>
<p>Other topical sprays and creams exist, too, such as Stud100, EMLA, and EjectDelay. The one that's probably gotten the most press is TEMPE, a topical spray, with both licocaine and prilocaine, created by one of the makers of Viagra.</p>
<p>There are some clear differences between TEMPE and Promescent. For one thing, TEMPE is a prescription drug that has gone through clinical trials, while large-scale testing for over-the-counter Promescent is still underway. Another difference is that TEMPE isn't yet FDA-approved for PE, while Promescent conforms to the FDA's existing regulations for lidocaine, according to Levine.</p>
<p>Although clinical trials are expensive and time-consuming, Promescent must undergo them to receive approval from the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and International Society for Sexual Medicine, which would put the spray on the radars of the organization's 12,000 members, according to Abraham. </p>
<p>Even without those trials, Promescent remains the only FDA-approved, lidocaine-based spray with absorption technology that doesn't require a prescription. And absorption is key: It improves efficacy and reduces transference to partners, according to Stahl.</p>
<p>"My overall impression is that Promescent is an effective treatment for delaying ejaculation, and is particularly useful in men who do not want to take daily oral medication," he says.</p>
<h3>The Future Of Promescent</h3>
<p>With its unique formula, Promescent has started to attract media attention. In October 2013, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/101084377">CNBC</a> called Promescent the "new sex drug in town," and, in June, <a href="http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/have-sex-hour">Men's Health</a> magazine recommended it to last longer in bed. Of course, there's this article, too.</p>
<p>Abraham hopes this is just the beginning. And he still attributes the company's success to Ron.</p>
<p>"I'm not a religious person - I won't fake that," he says. "But there's karma here."</p>
<p>When he does sell the company, Abraham wants to open a scholarship fund at the University of California, Irvine, Ron's alma mater, in his name.</p>
<p>"When one of these companies turns Promescent into a billion-dollar product, everyone who buys it will see Ron's face," Abraham says. "I want people to understand how truly spectacular this man was."</p>

This Sex-Drug Inventor Was Murdered, And Now His Best Friend Is Trying To Fulfill His Legacy

<p>The <keyword id="630356" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="NBA-Playoffs">NBA Playoffs</keyword> finally start Saturday at 3 p.m. eastern.</p>
<p>We couldn't be more excited.</p>
<p>Here are our official predictions are the first round. We only picked one upset (because we're cowards), but we also only picked one sweep!</p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:620px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/512e1633ecad046e06000006-1134-567/lebron-james-miami-heat-after-shot-2.jpg?maxX=620" border="0" alt="lebron james miami heat after shot" width="620" /></div><p class="source">Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images</p></div></p>
<h3><strong>Miami Heat (1) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (8): Miami in 5</strong></h3>
<p>For a team that's not very good, the Bucks play the Heat weirdly tough. Miami won 3 of 4 meetings this year, but one game went to overtime and Milwaukee won another by 20+ points. </p>
<p>They don't turn the ball over, and Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings could randomly go off for 40+ points at any time</p>
<p>But, as we mentioned, Milwaukee is a pretty whomp team in general. They're just average at three-point shooting and they get can pretty iso-heavy on offense, which is basically the opposite of what you need against Miami.</p>
<p>Miami (as a big a juggernaut as they are) has never swept a team in the Big-3 era, and they've have a tendency to sleepwalk through a game or two if they think they've got a series wrapped up.</p>
<p><strong>Miami in 5.</strong></p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:620px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/50ca163ceab8eac66f000008-1000-500/carmelo-anthony-knicks-three-pointer.jpg" border="0" alt="carmelo anthony knicks three pointer" width="620" /></div><p class="source">Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</p></div></p>
<h3><strong>New York Knicks (2) vs. Boston Celtics (7): New York in 6</strong></h3>
<p>The Celtics have a lot going against them.</p>
<p>They have the worst offense of any team in the playoffs, and their defense (while ranked in the 10) isn't the sort of elite unit that can win a series by itself. Kevin Garnett is hurt and has only played three games in the past month. And the only guys who played on the team that pushed Miami to Game 7 last year are Paul Pierce and KG</p>
<p>So if you want to pick Boston to win this series, you have to accept one assumption — they have an extra gear that they're saving for the playoffs.</p>
<p>It's certainly possible. The Celtics have outperformed expectations in the playoffs going back to 2010.</p>
<p>But the Knicks are playing too well right now. They can score in a variety of ways, and they've shown that they can defend when they want to. Boston just doesn't have the bigs to give them trouble.</p>
<p><strong>Knicks in 6.</strong></p>
<p><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51719966ecad040619000004-620-310/paul-george-indiana-pacers-1.jpg" border="0" alt="paul george indiana pacers" /></div><p class="source">Pool/Getty Images</p></td></tr></table></p>
<h3><strong>Indiana Pacers (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6): Indiana in 5</strong></h3>
<p>There's just no way Atlanta can score enough to stay in this series. They already have trouble putting up points (12th among playoff teams in offensive efficiency), and now they're going against the best defensive team in the East.</p>
<p>Yeah, Indiana has fallen off a bit in the last few weeks, and their bench is pretty suspect.</p>
<p>But they're still an insanely good defensive team, and their unstoppable 5-man unit of George Hill-Lance Stephenson-Paul George-David West-Roy Hibbert should get even more minutes together in the playoffs.</p>
<p><strong>Indiana in 5.</strong></p>
<p><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5171970decad048e1200000c-620-310/deron-williams-brooklyn-nets.jpg" border="0" alt="deron williams brooklyn nets" /></div><p class="source">Al Bello/Getty Images</p></td></tr></table></p>
<h3><strong>Brooklyn Nets (4) vs. Chicago (5): Brooklyn in 7</strong></h3>
<p>The Nets have quietly put things together in the last few weeks. They're 15-7 since March 6th, rising to 8th in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency, which is still weak but better than where it was in the fall.</p>
<p>In that time Deron Williams has morphed back into his former self, averaging 23.3 points and 8.3 assists per game. Before that he was averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 assists.</p>
<p>Brooklyn still doesn't move the ball well or play too much defense.</p>
<p>But a shortened rotation and a revitalized D-Will should be enough against a Bulls teams that doesn't have Joakim Noah.</p>
<p><strong>Brooklyn in 7, just because one of these things has to go 7.</strong></p>
<p><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/517198db6bb3f76c0c000013-620-310/russell-westbrook-okc-thunder-2.jpg" border="0" alt="russell westbrook okc thunder" /></div><p class="source">Ronald Martinez/Getty Images</p></td></tr></table></p>
<h3><strong>Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Houston Rockets (8): Oklahoma City in 5</strong></h3>
<p>Houston only has one guy who plays defense in Omer Asik, and their up-and-down style plays into exactly what Oklahoma City does well. So no, there's no chance of an upset here unless Durant or Westbrook gets hurt.</p>
<p>But can they steal a game? Sure.</p>
<p>When you can score the way the Rockets can, you always have a puncher's chance. They've scored 120 or more points in 13 games this year, going 12-1 in those games. It's simply tough to lose when you go off for that many points.</p>
<p>So yeah, it's reasonable to think Houston will have one random game where they shoot 58% and Harden drops 40 points on 18 shots.</p>
<p>But not four.</p>
<p><strong>Oklahoma City in 5.</strong></p>
<p><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51719dc4ecad04d51f000015-619-309/tony-parker-spurs-point-guard-1.jpg" border="0" alt="tony parker spurs point guard" /></div><p class="source">Ronald Martinez/Getty Images</p></td></tr></table></p>
<h3><strong>San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7): San Antonio in 4</strong></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nba-playoff-prediction-lakers-spurs-2013-4">We wrote about this at length yesterday. </a></p>
<p>In short: LA's defenses weaknesses correspond to San Antonio's offensive strengths. The Spurs can get into the paint at will and drain threes, while the Lakers can't stop anyone from getting into the paint and let up the most threes per game in the league.</p>
<p>It'll be a destruction if Tony Parker is healthy.</p>
<p><strong>San Antonio in a sweep.</strong></p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:620px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51719fd969beddd31d00000e-900-450/javale-mcgee-denver-nuggets-1.jpg" border="0" alt="javale mcgee denver nuggets" width="620" /></div><p class="source">Doug Pensinger/Getty Images</p></div></p>
<h3><strong>Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Golden State Warriors (6): Denver in 7</strong></h3>
<p>This should be the most fun series of the first round. </p>
<p>Denver plays the 2nd-fastest pace in the league and Golden State plays the 4th-fastest. Denver is 5th in the league in points per possession while Golden State is 11th. And both are middling defensive teams.</p>
<p>So basically, points!</p>
<p>Still though, the Nuggets are the clear favorite. Golden State has been a .500 team since starting the year 15-7. Their defense has fallen off, they're prone to stretches of offensive stagnation, and Jarrett Jack is their go-to guy in crunch time.</p>
<p>The only reason to question Denver's chances here is injuries. Danilo Gallinari is out, Kenneth Faried tweaked an ankle, and Ty Lawson has been slowed by a foot injury. All of a sudden Evan Fournier — who scored 45 total points in October, November, and December combined — is a significant piece of the puzzle.</p>
<p>They should still be okay, but we'll hedge and say this one goes the distance.</p>
<p><strong>Denver in 7.</strong></p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:620px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5171adbdecad04313e00000a-898-449/memphis-grizzlies-zach-randolph-la-clippers-1.jpg" border="0" alt="memphis grizzlies zach randolph la clippers" width="620" /></div><p class="source">Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</p></div></p>
<h3><strong>Los Angeles Clippers (4) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (5): Memphis in 6</strong></h3>
<p>Here's the thing with the Clippers — they tend to adapt to the style of whatever team they're playing.</p>
<p>If you want to play fast, they'll play fast. If you want to play slow, they'll play slow. They scored 90 or less points 12 times this year, but 115 or more points 10 times. </p>
<p>You can put a positive spin on that by saying that can win in a variety of ways — they can beat you in the halfcourt with Chris Paul or out-run you in the open court with Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin.</p>
<p>But at the end of the day they tend to play however fast or slow their opponents want to play. And against Memphis, a team that wants to slow it down and grind you to death in the halfcourt, that is a huge disadvantage. </p>
<p>Transition baskets are a huge part of the recipe for beating Memphis. If you let them let their halfcourt defense get set, you're just not going to be able to score against them.</p>
<p>Memphis wins if the Clippers let them play their style.</p>
<p><strong>Memphis in 6.</strong></p>

NBA Playoff Predictions: Here Are Our Picks For All Eight Match-Ups

<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5318e2d26da811a2058dff4f-1200-858/mad men season 7 don draper.jpg" border="0" alt="mad men season 7 don draper"><p class="source"><span>Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>For "Mad Men" viewers, one of the most satisfying aspects of the show is the way Matthew Weiner and his team of writers fold the watershed events of the 1960s into the narrative.</p><p>The political events of the '60s have been a part of the show since Season 1, when the ad agency Sterling Cooper threw an all-night party against the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960">backdrop of the Kennedy/Nixon election</a>. More recently, Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination was announced during an <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> awards ceremony on the show. (This <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F00B10F83B5B137A93C7A9178FD85F4C8685F9">actually happened</a>.)</p><p class="p1">Some people don't realize the show depicts landmark developments in the advertising industry with equal precision. <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">We spoke with real-life 1960s "Mad Man" Mel Abert, former<a href="http://tbwachiatday.com/"> art director at renowned ad agency Chiat/Day</a>. Abert let us in on </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">the developments in the show that ended up being huge for the industry.</span></p><h3>Volkswagen's "Think Small" And "Lemon" Ads</h3><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5293a03d6bb3f78f61f01814-960-1210/think small.jpg" border="0" alt="think small"><p class="source"><span>Volkswagen</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Volkswagen's humorous ads turned heads when they debuted in 1959, and <a href="http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/ad-age-advertising-century-top-100-campaigns/140918/">Ad Age later ranked it as the best advertising campaign of the 20<span class="s1"><sup>th</sup></span> century</a>. I<span>n the third episode of "Mad Men," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojtMtIyD6dM">Don Draper and his team</a> discuss the ads at length to figure out why they work. Those in the industry have some theories on why the "Think Small" campaign was effective.<br /></span></p><p class="p1">"<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-us-canada-11963364">It was self-deprecating. It was the first post-modern ad</a>," Bob Garfield, an advertising industry consultant and former columnist for Advertising Age, told the BBC. "… That ad ushered in a whole era of humor, wit, and irony in advertising."</p><p class="float_right"><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5375043f6bb3f7ed21360e27-788-1000/volkswagen_lemon_hires1.jpg" border="0" alt="volkswagen_lemon_hires1" width="480"><p class="source"><span>Volkswagen</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></p><p class="p1">William Bernbach of the then-nascent agency <a href="http://www.ddb.com/">Doyle, Dane, Bernbach</a> created the ad, which was his answer to a relatively small advertising budget and a car brand that Americans were predisposed to hate because it was German. (Remember, this was a post-World War II America.)</p><p class="p1">The ads took seeming faults about the car - its unique design, small size, and low horsepower - and turned them into selling points with humor and irony. </p><h3 class="p1">The Creative Revolution And Agencies Driven By Creatives</h3><p>Many people in advertising see the '60s as a golden age for the industry - and not just because of the three-martini lunches. Advertising during this creative revolution turned the old way of doing things on its head. Agencies ditched long paragraphs of copy for powerful visuals, snappy slogans, and humor.</p><p>Boisterous creatives of the era like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Chiat">Jay Chiat</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Koenig"> Julian Koenig</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wells_Lawrence">Mary Wells Lawrence</a> led the industry with daring campaigns that many still remember today. Campaigns like Avis' "We Try Harder," the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Ronald McDonald all began in the 1960s.</p><p><iframe width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ykMp2eZ2Qiw"></iframe></p><h3>The Importance Of Television And The Rise Of Media Buyers</h3><p class="p1">Americans had heard of television by the 1930s, but it became "the national campfire" by the 1960s when people were <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1513870/Television-in-the-United-States/283614/The-year-of-transition-1959">watching an average of 5 hours of TV a day</a>.</p><p class="p1">TV advertising initially came in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPc9keZ1cl0">the form of sponsorships of entire programs like the U.S. Steel Hour</a>, but then networks began selling multiple <span>30-second spots to advertiser</span>s. The change gave rise to one of the most enduring aspects of advertising: the media buyer.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p><p class="p1">Media buyers negotiate and buy prime TV advertising space for their clients using notoriously complicated contracts. The best buyers can get special rates or advertising spots based on their relationship with the network and the amount of space they buy.</p><p><iframe width="800" height="450" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5dmnkS0e7uo"></iframe></p><p class="p1">In the early 1960s, media buying departments were just forming, as demonstrated by Harry Crane's nervous pitch to Roger Sterling in Season 2. By 1968, these departments were <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60812FC355C147493C2A8178BD95F4C8685F9">the most talked-about phenomenon on the advertising scene</a>, the New York Times reported at the time.</p><p class="p1">Media buyers typically netted a 15% commission on ad buys for the agency, and they quickly gained power in agencies since TV deals were so expensive. In Season 6 of "Mad Men," Harry Crane bursts into a board meeting and demands to be made a partner. He's denied, but his demand for more recognition is a clear sign of the times.</p><p class="p1">"<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/apr/04/media-buying-flawed-system">Media agencies are the ATM of the big advertising companies, they throw off a lot of cash</a>," advertising veteran Nick Manning told The Guardian "The big groups make a lot more money out of media buying than they do out of anything else."</p><p class="p1">In the late 1990s, the biggest advertising conglomerates, including Omnicon and WPP Group, began consolidating the media departments of numerous agencies into stand-alone companies. The resulting companies - <a href="http://www.groupm.com/">GroupM</a> and <a href="http://www.omnicommediagroup.com/">OmnicomMediaGroup</a> - are two of the most powerful media companies in the world.</p><h3 class="p1">The Rise Of The Computer</h3><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53762277eab8ea6d5a8c3070-1047-709/360-91-panel.jpg" border="0" alt="360 91 panel"><p class="source"><span>NASA</span></p><p class="caption">This image of the System/360 Model 91 was taken by NASA sometime in the late 1960s.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>In the current season of "Mad Men," Sterling Cooper &amp; Partners installs a massive computer that takes the place of the creative lounge.</p><p class="p1">While Abert says "Mad Men" was right about how important the computer would become, he says the show jumped the gun on the dates. The prohibitively high cost of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360">IBM System/360 computer</a> prevented all but the largest of agencies from having them that early, he says.</p><p class="p1">The New York Times noted in 1968 that <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FB071EF6345E157B93CBA91782D85F448785F9">early adopter agencies began moving computers into the office in the early 1960s,</a> but most agencies including Abert's firm Chiat/Day paid for subscriptions to computer services that provided the same data.</p><p class="p1">The computer paranoia of the "Mad Men" creative team ended up being well-founded, though. According to Abert, the introduction<a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2026544/the-little-known-apple-lisa-five-quirks-and-oddities.html"> of the Apple Lisa</a> and the Apple Mac in the early 80s "changed the advertising industry overnight." Because the computer made creating graphics far easier, many companies took their marketing in-house. Advertising had to quickly adapt to the new world.</p><p class="p3">"There were creatives who were steeped in the old ways of doing things that didn't want to change," Abert said. "They were quickly doing nothing. Those that embraced the computer are still working."</p><h3>The Los Angeles Advertising Scene </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/537628c96bb3f7652f3c73c0-1200-800/miracle_mile_1960s_postcard.jpg" border="0" alt="Miracle_Mile_1960s_Postcard"><p class="source"><span>Ellis-Sawyer</span></p><p class="caption">Most advertising agencies in Los Angeles had offices on Wilshire Boulevard.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>At the end of Season 6 of "Mad Men," important characters jockey to go to California to start a Los Angeles office of Sterling Cooper. A tiny California office would have been a demotion in earlier seasons, but by the late '60s, L.A. represented a chance for creativity and freedom.</p><p>While New York remained the sophisticated hub of the industry, L.A. was rising up as a disruptive upstart, full of unconventional independents and new outposts from the Madison Avenue's biggest agencies. <span>The rise in prestige of L.A. was due in large part to the success of agencies like Chiat/Day, which became known for its inventive, risk-taking ads and unconventional approach to clients.</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p><p>One of Chiat/Day's more provocative ads was for Western Harness Racing, Inc., which wanted to promote night-time races at its Hollywood Park track. Believing the people they had to reach were bettors, Chiat/Day ran print ads with the headline, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/25/business/the-media-business-advertising-3-new-books-published-about-the-ad-business.html">How To Tell The Difference Between A Pacer and A Trotter</a>." The punchline: the difference between the two was illustrated not with horses, but with a cigar-smoking man on all fours.</p><p>Chiat/Day's work may have led the pack, but they were far from the only risk-taking creatives in L.A. Advertising virtuoso Stan Freberg, who ran Freberg LTD in Los Angeles, was known for pioneering the use of humor in ads. He was responsible for this iconic 1960s Sunsweet Prunes ad, featuring science-fiction author Ray Bradbury:</p><p><iframe width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A5NxG_rr5aU"></iframe></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-earth-would-look-like-if-ice-melted-world-map-animation-2015-2">Animated map of what Earth would look like if all the ice melted</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5xam5iczrSx4Ibx8MvarDsu3zOG88omE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '5xam5iczrSx4Ibx8MvarDsu3zOG88omE',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

5 things you saw in 'Mad Men' that turned out to be hugely important

<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5318e2d26da811a2058dff4f-1200-858/mad men season 7 don draper.jpg" border="0" alt="mad men season 7 don draper" /><p class="source"><span>Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>For "Mad Men" viewers, one of the most satisfying aspects of the show is the way Matthew Weiner and his team of writers fold the watershed events of the 1960s into the narrative.</p>
<p>The political events of the '60s have been a part of the show since Season 1, when the ad agency Sterling Cooper threw an all-night party against the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960">backdrop of the Kennedy/Nixon election</a>. More recently, Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination was announced during an <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> awards ceremony on the show. (This <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F00B10F83B5B137A93C7A9178FD85F4C8685F9">actually happened</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Some people don't realize the show depicts landmark developments in the advertising industry with equal precision. <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">We spoke with real-life 1960s "Mad Man" Mel Abert, former<a href="http://tbwachiatday.com/"> art director at renowned ad agency Chiat/Day</a>. Abert let us in on </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">the developments in the show that ended up being huge for the industry.</span></p>
<h3>Volkswagen's "Think Small" And "Lemon" Ads</h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5293a03d6bb3f78f61f01814-960-1210/think small.jpg" border="0" alt="think small" /><p class="source"><span>Volkswagen</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Volkswagen's humorous ads turned heads when they debuted in 1959, and <a href="http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/ad-age-advertising-century-top-100-campaigns/140918/">Ad Age later ranked it as the best advertising campaign of the 20<span class="s1"><sup>th</sup></span> century</a>. I<span>n the third episode of "Mad Men," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojtMtIyD6dM">Don Draper and his team</a> discuss the ads at length to figure out why they work. Those in the industry have some theories on why the "Think Small" campaign was effective.<br /></span></p>
<p class="p1">"<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-us-canada-11963364">It was self-deprecating. It was the first post-modern ad</a>," Bob Garfield, an advertising industry consultant and former columnist for Advertising Age, told the BBC. "… That ad ushered in a whole era of humor, wit, and irony in advertising."</p>
<p class="float_right"><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5375043f6bb3f7ed21360e27-788-1000/volkswagen_lemon_hires1.jpg" border="0" alt="volkswagen_lemon_hires1" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Volkswagen</span></p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p class="p1">William Bernbach of the then-nascent agency <a href="http://www.ddb.com/">Doyle, Dane, Bernbach</a> created the ad, which was his answer to a relatively small advertising budget and a car brand that Americans were predisposed to hate because it was German. (Remember, this was a post-World War II America.)</p>
<p class="p1">The ads took seeming faults about the car - its unique design, small size, and low horsepower - and turned them into selling points with humor and irony. </p>
<h3 class="p1">The Creative Revolution And Agencies Driven By Creatives</h3>
<p>Many people in advertising see the '60s as a golden age for the industry - and not just because of the three-martini lunches. Advertising during this creative revolution turned the old way of doing things on its head. Agencies ditched long paragraphs of copy for powerful visuals, snappy slogans, and humor.</p>
<p>Boisterous creatives of the era like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Chiat">Jay Chiat</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Koenig"> Julian Koenig</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wells_Lawrence">Mary Wells Lawrence</a> led the industry with daring campaigns that many still remember today. Campaigns like Avis' "We Try Harder," the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Ronald McDonald all began in the 1960s.</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ykMp2eZ2Qiw"></iframe></p>
<h3>The Importance Of Television And The Rise Of Media Buyers</h3>
<p class="p1">Americans had heard of television by the 1930s, but it became "the national campfire" by the 1960s when people were <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1513870/Television-in-the-United-States/283614/The-year-of-transition-1959">watching an average of 5 hours of TV a day</a>.</p>
<p class="p1">TV advertising initially came in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPc9keZ1cl0">the form of sponsorships of entire programs like the U.S. Steel Hour</a>, but then networks began selling multiple <span>30-second spots to advertiser</span>s. The change gave rise to one of the most enduring aspects of advertising: the media buyer.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">Media buyers negotiate and buy prime TV advertising space for their clients using notoriously complicated contracts. The best buyers can get special rates or advertising spots based on their relationship with the network and the amount of space they buy.</p>
<p><iframe width="800" height="450" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5dmnkS0e7uo"></iframe></p>
<p class="p1">In the early 1960s, media buying departments were just forming, as demonstrated by Harry Crane's nervous pitch to Roger Sterling in Season 2. By 1968, these departments were <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60812FC355C147493C2A8178BD95F4C8685F9">the most talked-about phenomenon on the advertising scene</a>, the New York Times reported at the time.</p>
<p class="p1">Media buyers typically netted a 15% commission on ad buys for the agency, and they quickly gained power in agencies since TV deals were so expensive. In Season 6 of "Mad Men," Harry Crane bursts into a board meeting and demands to be made a partner. He's denied, but his demand for more recognition is a clear sign of the times.</p>
<p class="p1">"<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/apr/04/media-buying-flawed-system">Media agencies are the ATM of the big advertising companies, they throw off a lot of cash</a>," advertising veteran Nick Manning told The Guardian "The big groups make a lot more money out of media buying than they do out of anything else."</p>
<p class="p1">In the late 1990s, the biggest advertising conglomerates, including Omnicon and WPP Group, began consolidating the media departments of numerous agencies into stand-alone companies. The resulting companies - <a href="http://www.groupm.com/">GroupM</a> and <a href="http://www.omnicommediagroup.com/">OmnicomMediaGroup</a> - are two of the most powerful media companies in the world.</p>
<h3 class="p1">The Rise Of The Computer</h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53762277eab8ea6d5a8c3070-1047-709/360-91-panel.jpg" border="0" alt="360 91 panel" /><p class="source"><span>NASA</span></p><p class="caption">This image of the System/360 Model 91 was taken by NASA sometime in the late 1960s.</p></div><p></p></div></div>In the current season of "Mad Men," Sterling Cooper &amp; Partners installs a massive computer that takes the place of the creative lounge.</p>
<p class="p1">While Abert says "Mad Men" was right about how important the computer would become, he says the show jumped the gun on the dates. The prohibitively high cost of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360">IBM System/360 computer</a> prevented all but the largest of agencies from having them that early, he says.</p>
<p class="p1">The New York Times noted in 1968 that <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FB071EF6345E157B93CBA91782D85F448785F9">early adopter agencies began moving computers into the office in the early 1960s,</a> but most agencies including Abert's firm Chiat/Day paid for subscriptions to computer services that provided the same data.</p>
<p class="p1">The computer paranoia of the "Mad Men" creative team ended up being well-founded, though. According to Abert, the introduction<a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2026544/the-little-known-apple-lisa-five-quirks-and-oddities.html"> of the Apple Lisa</a> in the early 80s "changed the advertising industry overnight." Because the computer made creating graphics far easier, many companies took their marketing in-house. Advertising had to quickly adapt to the new world.</p>
<p class="p3">"There were creatives who were steeped in the old ways of doing things that didn't want to change," Abert said. "They were quickly doing nothing. Those that embraced the computer are still working."</p>
<h3>The Los Angeles Advertising Scene </h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/537628c96bb3f7652f3c73c0-1200-800/miracle_mile_1960s_postcard.jpg" border="0" alt="Miracle_Mile_1960s_Postcard" /><p class="source"><span>Ellis-Sawyer</span></p><p class="caption">Most advertising agencies in Los Angeles had offices on Wilshire Boulevard.</p></div><p></p></div></div>At the end of Season 6 of "Mad Men," important characters jockey to go to California to start a Los Angeles office of Sterling Cooper. A tiny California office would have been a demotion in earlier seasons, but by the late '60s, L.A. represented a chance for creativity and freedom.</p>
<p>While New York remained the sophisticated hub of the industry, L.A. was rising up as a disruptive upstart, full of unconventional independents and new outposts from the Madison Avenue's biggest agencies. <span>The rise in prestige of L.A. was due in large part to the success of agencies like Chiat/Day, which became known for its inventive, risk-taking ads and unconventional approach to clients.</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>
<p>One of Chiat/Day's more provocative ads was for Western Harness Racing, Inc., which wanted to promote night-time races at its Hollywood Park track. Believing the people they had to reach were bettors, Chiat/Day ran print ads with the headline, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/25/business/the-media-business-advertising-3-new-books-published-about-the-ad-business.html">How To Tell The Difference Between A Pacer and A Trotter</a>." The punchline: the difference between the two was illustrated not with horses, but with a cigar-smoking man on all fours.</p>
<p>Chiat/Day's work may have led the pack, but they were far from the only risk-taking creatives in L.A. Advertising virtuoso Stan Freberg, who ran Freberg LTD in Los Angeles, was known for pioneering the use of humor in ads. He was responsible for this iconic 1960s Sunsweet Prunes ad, featuring science-fiction author Ray Bradbury:</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A5NxG_rr5aU"></iframe></p>

You Searched For "Ronald Ellis" and got 14 results

David Benavidez bludgeons his boxing opponent before challenging Canelo, Plant, and Charlo to fist-fights

Alan Dawson

Meet T.S. Ellis, the judge presiding over Paul Manafort's trial, who has challenged Mueller's intentions and earned Trump's praise

Ellen Cranley

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for Ticketmaster-Live Nation 'monopoly' to be broken up in response to Taylor Swift pre-sale controversy

Kayla Gallagher

What does 'organic' actually mean? Experts explain what's behind the USDA label

Kelly Burch

What does 'organic' actually mean? Experts explain what's behind the USDA label

Kelly Burch

Trump's legal team thinks unlikely developments in Paul Manafort's case could flip Mueller's investigation on its head

Sonam Sheth

Meet Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova, the Republican power couple caught up in the FBI's Rudy Giuliani investigation

Jacob Shamsian

This Sex-Drug Inventor Was Murdered - Now His Best Friend Wants The Product In Every 7-Eleven

Christina Sterbenz

Rajon Rondo's game is suddenly outdated, and it could cost him millions in free agency

Scott Davis

This Sex-Drug Inventor Was Murdered, And Now His Best Friend Is Trying To Fulfill His Legacy

Christina Sterbenz

NBA Playoff Predictions: Here Are Our Picks For All Eight Match-Ups

Tony Manfred

5 things you saw in 'Mad Men' that turned out to be hugely important

Harrison Jacobs

5 Things You Saw In 'Mad Men' That Turned Out To Be Hugely Important

Harrison Jacobs

The 'On-Demand Economy' Is Reshaping Companies And Careers

The Economist