Watch: Scotland Women lead Switzerland after early goal flurry – Live – BBC Sport

<!–

<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–

<!–

<!–

In a tribute that capped days of mourning in Arizona for John McCain, former Vice President Joe Biden said the senator exemplified values that will endure his passing.

Eulogizing his friend, with whom he traveled the world and on whom he leaned in times of personal pain, Biden spoke of the “McCain code,” values forged during his days in the Navy and lived every day afterward. Values that Biden said will endure.

With his voice rising inside the cavernous North Phoenix Baptist Church, Biden rejected the notion that McCain’s death reflects the end of an era.

“Things have changed so much in America, they look at him as if John came from another age because he lived by a different code, an ancient, antiquated code where honor, courage, character, integrity, duty mattered,” Biden said.

“The truth is John’s code was ageless, is ageless. It wasn’t about politics with John. You could disagree on substance,” Biden added. “It was about the underlying values that animated everything John did.”

RELATED: Joe Biden to McCain children: ‘You are a living legacy’

Biden said most of those who knew him will miss McCain’s character, but for the McCain family, they have lost the man in their lives.

For them, Biden spoke not just as a Washington colleague, but someone who has lost a loved one to cancer. Biden’s son, Beau, died of a similar brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.

“For that, there is no balm but time,” he said. “Time and your memories of a life lived well, lived fully.”

McCain’s funeral drew 24 members of the U.S. Senate and more than 3,000 others whose lives he touched.

It was the final public goodbye to Arizona for McCain, who died Saturday.

The service began with McCain’s daughter Bridget reading verses from Ecclesiastes, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die.”

Former state Attorney General Grant Woods, a former chief of staff to McCain, then talked about his time working with him. Woods said McCain loved the people of Arizona, the diversity of the community and the state’s natural beauty.

“If John McCain fell in love with Arizona, Arizona fell in love with John McCain. We ran a lot of races here, a lot of elections. We never lost,” Woods said. 

RELATED: Grant Woods: Friendship with John McCain ‘the greatest honor of my life’

Woods kept those in the pews laughing, recounting stories about McCain’s occasionally errant driving and his legendary slight of a senior center.

He also reminded that McCain was a principled fighter for underdogs and for his country.

“He was resolute. He was courageous every step of the way,” Woods said. “He was America’s hero.”

Tommy Espinoza, president of the Raza Development Fund Inc., remembered McCain as a good friend who kept his word.

McCain paid his first personal visit to his home, Espinoza said, on what turned out to be McCain’s birthday. McCain asked Espinoza to co-chair his first Senate campaign knowing he was a Democrat.

RELATED: Tommy Espinoza: John McCain ‘really did reflect our country in its true form’

And McCain showed an appreciation of the immigrant community, Espinoza said, adding in words with a political point:

“He did understand us. He understood all of us, whether it was white, black, brown or Asian. To him, it didn’t make any difference. What he knew is that we all make America great. We all make America great.”

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald also paid tribute to McCain, saying it was an honor to know him.

The McCain family has been part of the congregation of this church, at the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Bethany Home Road, for more than 25 years.

McCain attended the church for decades, though he was never baptized, according to a 2007 interview with McClatchy Newspapers. “I didn’t find it necessary to do so for my spiritual needs,” he said at the time.

He held at least one of his signature town halls there, in August 2009, when the nation was fixated on the then-pending Affordable Care Act, the legislation he saved in July 2017 with a dramatic thumbs down Senate vote.

RELATED: What to know about Washington tributes for McCain on Friday, Saturday

But in 2009, when he opposed the bill, some in the crowd at the church denounced McCain. One man shouted, “Keep on lying McCain!” as he walked out of the event.

After the event, McCain offered an assessment of another Senate giant, Democrat Ted Kennedy, who had died the day before, from glioblastoma as well. He chose words similar to the ones now used to describe him.

“He was an honorable combatant. He fought for what he believed in,” McCain said in 2009. “I think he became an institution within the institution, and we’ll all miss him.”

Follow our live updates on the memorial throughout the day.

MORE ON MCCAIN:

Read or Share this story: https://azc.cc/2LGCDHu

Ah, online dating. If you’ve dated in the past 20 years, you’ve likely encountered one – or all – of the myriad dating sites in some form. 

And as we’ve increasingly moved our lives online, digital dating’s finally shed the stigma it once carried, leaving people free to meet others however they choose.

Julie Spira, dating expert and CEO of cyberdatingexpert.com says it wasn’t always so easy to meet people online. She would know: she’s been helping clients find love online since 1994.

“People didn’t have mobile phones and laptops, and the process was people would go home, log on slowly, see who had written to them and write back,” she says. “The courtship process was a lot slower, so it took quite a while to get from the first interaction to actually going on a date. Plus in those days, there was a stigma associated with online dating. You did not tell people you met your spouse, or partner, or even a date online.”

As we’ve changed, so has the online dating landscape. In the years since their initial launches, the forefathers of dating sites have forged ahead on mobile while holding on to their desktop roots.

Here are our top 5 dating site picks:

1. Best for international daters: Zoosk

What initially began as a Facebook app developed in 2007 has grown into a company with 35 million users in more than 80 countries. 

“Zoosk is fun and flirty,” Spira says.

Rather than asking its user for dating questions, Zoosk picks dates for its users based on a user’s on-site activity. If you shoot a message to Jake Doe, for example, Zoosk says it’ll use that action to determine which types of profiles to show you going forward.

“Zoosk is fun and flirty,” Spira says. “It does cater to a younger crowd – more of a millennial crowd.”

What you need to know:

• Zoosk is free to sign up, but you’ll need a paid subscription to interact with other users. The company also uses its own form of currency called Zoosk coins that are available for purchase. Daters can use these for features like adding a “boost” to their own profiles in search or sending another user a “virtual gift.”

• Users can browse the site on both desktop and mobile.

2. Best for all kinds of daters: Match

Before there were apps on which one could swipe right and left on a dizzying number of potential connections, there was Match. Yes, Match.com is the mother of all dating sites. Launched back in 1995, its decades in the business help it bring a ton of insight to the table for singles looking for all kinds of connections. 

“Match is the family brand,” Spira says.

And with its more recent push into mobile come a few new features that have helped make the ancient site more relevant, including its very own version of Stories, popularized by Snapchat and, uh … adopted by everyone else.

Match users can shoot little videos of their day or add voiceovers to photos and post them to their profiles for other users to check out.

“Match is the family brand,” Spira says. “It’s the one where someone could see their grandmother on, and someone could see their grandson on. It has the largest critical mass, and they have done a fabulous job of keeping up with the technology.”

What you need to know: 

• It’s technically free to build a profile and browse for matches, but users who want to engage in direct messaging with their matches will have to upgrade to a paid membership, which costs on average about $20 per month. There’s also a free trial option.

• Match users can browse on desktop and on mobile through its app.

• Match also recently added Missed Connections which, like the app Happn, tells users who they’ve crossed paths with recently.

• More than 25,000 new users join each day, apparently.

• Spira says it “spans a lot of different relationship types,” from casual to serious.

3. Best for those looking to get hitched: eHarmony

Founded in 2000 by Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony is the site for serious daters. A spokesperson for the site says it’s been used by 54 million people, and is apparently responsible for 4 percent of U.S. marriages.. Users answer a lengthy questionnaire that helps eHarmony determine what it calls a “a select group of compatible matches with whom you can build a quality relationship.”

Spira says she’s always seen eHarmony as a “matrimonial dating site.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re going to walk down the aisle, but it certainly means that you’re looking for a very serious relationship that may or may not lead to marriage. It may lead to living together or at least being in an exclusive, committed relationship.”

What you need to know:

• While it’s free to make an account, answer questions, and see your matches, you’ll need to select a paid membership to make contact. Prices start at $19.95 per month.

• It’s available on both desktop and through its app.

• It’s not recommended for users looking to date casually. “eHarmony will not cater to somebody who’s looking for a casual relationship or hookup– you will never see that on eHarmony,” Spira says.

4. Best for the opinionated: OkCupid

On OkCupid, users can offer a ton of information about themselves through the site’s Match Questions. Examples include: “Would you date someone who keeps a gun in the house?” or “Should the government require children be vaccinated for preventable diseases?” The answers to these questions help OkCupid determine which members might be a good match for one another. 

Of note: Per OkCupid’s own stats, liberal women in particular have luck on the site. And in 2017, the site offered users the chance to answer 50 “current events” questions that illuminate a user’s politics.

“OkCupid has been a favorite of mine for years,” Spira says. “I always liked OkCupid because they have a great critical mass and they have the thought-provoking questions that really allow you to think about how you feel about some of these issues, whether it’s politics or gun control, and how do you feel about your date’s answers. People spend a lot of time on site just perusing the questions that other people answer, and I like that. “

What you need to know:

• OkCupid is free for the most part, but does offer some paid upgrades for features like increased search abilities, a “free automatic boost per day during prime time,” or even the option to browse privately in “Incognito Mode.”

• It’s available on both desktop and mobile.

Plenty of Fish, sometime styled as POF, boasts 4 million daily active users, with 65,000 new users each day apparently, and claims users send 1 billion messages per month. After registering for POF, hopeful daters take a personality test that then helps POF determine what they call, “Your Relationship Needs.” Basically, it’s a way to make sure users know what they want from their love lives, and to ensure that it serves users with other profiles that meet that criteria.

One unusual quirk: The site recently launched a feature that allows users to message others through Google Home.

Says Spira: “They have a large user base, are a free site, and are very popular.”

What you need to know:

• POF is pretty much entirely free, but does offer upgrades. Like Zoosk, POF offers “tokens” that let users “highlight” their profiles so that they stand out to other users, send a message that goes straight to the top of their inboxes, or send a “Super Yes” to users they’re particularly interested in.

• It has both a desktop site, and an app.

Alright, daters – get your beautiful faces out there.

The Syrian government and its major ally Russia have signalled that an all-out offensive to retake the last rebel-held province in Syria is only a matter of time, raising fears over a major humanitarian crisis.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem following a closed-door meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the majority of Syria had been “freed of terrorists”, save for Idlib, a northeastern province bordering Turkey.

“What we need to do now is to wipe out those terrorist groups which persist, particularly within the de-escalation area of Idlib,” he said.

“It is unacceptable that those terrorists particularly al-Nusra Front are using the de-escalation area of Idlib to attack the Syrian army and to also attack through drones the Russian military bases in the area,” he added referring to Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is dominated by a rebel faction previously known as al-Nusra Front before renouncing its ties to al-Qaeda.

For his part, Muallem said the Syrian forces will “go all the way” in Idlib but added that the army will do everything possible to avoid civilian deaths.

Humanitarian concerns

Idlib is home to nearly three million people, up to half of whom are rebels and civilians transferred en masse from other areas such as Aleppo, Eastern Ghouta and Deraa after they fell to Syrian pro-government forces following heavy fighting.

The situation on the ground is further complicated by the direct presence of Turkey, which backs certain rebel groups in the area and operates as a guarantor power to ensure a “de-escalation zone” agreed upon with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s allies Russia and Iran at a meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

In recent weeks, Turkish-backed opposition groups in Idlib have attempted to unify into a new coalition, with some 70,000 fighters pledging to fight against forces loyal to Assad. But HTS, the most dominant rebel force in Idlib in control of about 60 percent of the province, has not joined the coalition.

A major military operation in Idlib would pose a particularly threatening humanitarian situation because there is no opposition territory left in Syria where people could be evacuated to. Observers have previously warned as many as 2.5 million Syrians could try to flee to the closed Turkish border, creating a new refugee crisis.

“The question is how costly the assault on Idlib is going to be,” said Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow.

“It’s not a question of if it will happen, it is a question of when and the severity of it,” he added, noting that the Russian and Syrian governments believe that the seven-year war will largely be over if they capture Idlib.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria’s war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Warnings and reconstruction

Speaking at the press conference, Lavrov called on the international community to join in the reconstruction process of Syria and “actively get down to work on modernising the infrastructure which has been devastated”.

“We can see that there is a very swift mobilisation of the international community taking place particularly with regards to the return of the refugees and the revival of socioeconomic assets and facilities to make sure the country gets back to working order,” he said.

“The Russians know that as the pre-eminent military force in Syria, some of the responsibility of rebuilding Syria falls on them,” Challands said, “but they don’t want to shoulder all the bill, so they’re encouraging as many foreign powers as they can to chip in essentially and get the country back on its feet.”

Muallem said Russia and Syria are united in their views regarding the next stage of rebuilding Syria.

“It’s natural to think about Syria to find a reconstruction programme and to find a role for our partners in Russia to play a key role and priority in this,” he said, adding that both countries are very near to “putting an end to terrorism” in the country.

Both ministers warned against any “act of aggression” from western countries, particularly from the United States, citing staged chemical attacks by “provocateurs” such as the Syrian civil defence group the White Helmets being used as a pretext for such assaults.

“This kind of provocation is being staged as to complicate the whole issue of combatting the terrorists in Idlib,” Lavrov said. “We have warned our western partners clearly that they should not engage in this kind of activity.

Muallem accused the US and its allies of preparing for “another aggression to save al-Nusra Front” and protract the Syrian conflict.

“We will practise our legitimate right in defending ourselves, but the consequences of the aggression will hit the political process definitely and everyone will be [affected],” he said.

Nature of offensive unknown

Turkey, which hosts some three million Syrian refugees, has already stated that it will not open its borders to accept further refugees in the event an assault takes place.

The Syrian government said that it will open “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to evacuate, but according to Al Jazeera’s correspondent Zeina Khodr, many of the residents do not trust the government and remain fearful of their fate.

“Many of these people are considered terrorists or are wanted by the state simply because they engaged in opposition activities,” Khodr said, reporting from Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. “Being a medic according to the Syrian government is terrorism.”

Earlier on Thursday, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura warned that a potential “perfect storm” is looming over Syria’s Idlib province, and expressed his willingness to “personally and physically” involve himself to ensure a corridor to evacuate civilians would be feasible. 

While it is not yet clear what kind of offensive the Syrian government will engage in Idlib, Khodr said that there are still “behind the scenes negotiations between the Russians and the Turks” on this matter.

“What we understand from some sources is that Turkey is trying through its contacts in Idlib to convince Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham to disband itself to prevent this all-out offensive,” she said.

“We even heard Lavrov tell the Syrian government ‘we are talking about the need to reconcile with some groups’ telling them in one way or another that there will not be a wide-scale attack.”

Russia pushing forward

According to Alexey Khlebnikov, an expert with the Russian International Affairs Council, creating another refugee crisis will be contrary to Russia’s main priorities and interests.

“This is why Russia is now trying to negotiate with Turkey to reach a compromise on the deal to minimise damage inflicted on the population in Idlib,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Now, Russia’s message to the West is to get on board and join in the reconstruction process and humanitarian aid [which] basically goes in line with that message of retaking Idlib and not creating another refugee flow.”

But Khodr said that Western countries are not prepared to join in the reconstruction, insisting first on a “meaningful, credible, political transition” to Syria.

“[The Russians] have sidelined the political transition which will involve the Syrian government sharing power with the opposition,” she said, noting that Russia is trying to cement Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s hold onto power.

The narrative for Russia and Syria is that they have won the war and now want to talk about rebuilding the country and returning the refugees, she said.

“They’ve appealed to the international community, particularly to the West, to give them money to rebuild the towns so that refugees will return and leave Europe but it seems they do not have the support as of yet,” Khodr said.

In 2016, Chance the Rapper let it be known that, “I met Kanye West, I’m never going to fail,” during his scene-stealing verse on Kanye’s “Ultralight Beam.” Over two years later, Chance and Kanye are now collaborating again on a potential album. On Wednesday (August 29), West revealed to Fox 32 News the reason he’s in Chicago: “I came by here with Chance to work on his album.”

Then early this morning (August 30), Kanye posted a video of him chopping up a Michael Jackson sample in honor of the legendary pop singer’s birthday. The only other person in the visual is Chance bobbing along to the beat. Prolific Atlanta producer Zaytoven also posted an Instagram photo of the two Chicago artists in the studio captioned “YETOVEN THE RAPPER.”

In June, Chano revealed to Peter Rosenberg that ‘Ye was producing a seven-song album for him.

“I’m 30 percent on everything that I’m working on, at least 30 percent,” Chance shared. “Supposed to be working on [the Kanye album] in July. So I don’t know. … We got six songs that are all fire, but I think the album’s going to be more than 14 songs. I think it’s going to be a full thing.”

Between the rumored Chance and Childish project and a Kanye-produced album, the young Chicago activist might steal our attention for the remainder of 2018.

Europa League: Burnley face Olympiakos after Carabao Cup third-round draw – Live – BBC Sport

<!–

<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–
<!–

<!–

<!–

<!–

WASHINGTON – John McCain’s 106-year-old mother, Roberta McCain, plans to attend his memorial service in Washington on Saturday and his burial at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

Roberta McCain, who always called her son “Johnny,” lives in the nation’s capital.

A memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday. On Sunday, there will be a private funeral service at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. McCain, a decorated Navy pilot, graduated from the academy and will be buried near his best friend from the college.

McCain died last Saturday at age 81 from an aggressive form of brain cancer. The late senator often described his mother – an admirals’s wife – as one of the biggest influences on his life.

More: John McCain: Why Joe Biden will eulogize his longtime friend. ‘If he needed my personal help, I’d go’

More: Nation’s capital prepares a hero’s welcome for late Sen. John McCain

“(She) was raised to be a strong, determined woman who thoroughly enjoyed life, and always tried to make the most of her opportunities,” McCain wrote of his mother. “She was encouraged to accept, graciously and with good humor, the responsibilities and sacrifices her choices have required of her. I am grateful to her for the strengths she taught me by example.”

Roberta McCain often traveled with her son on the campaign trail during his 2008 presidential bid. She was in her mid-90s at the time.

When McCain’s plane was shot down during the Vietnam War, his mother was initially told that her son had likely died in the crash. She later found out that McCain was being held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, which she described in interviews as “good news” given the alternative.

According to a story in the Arizona Republic, Roberta McCain was as strong-willed as her son. When she was told in Paris in 2006 that she was too old to rent a car because she was in her 90s, she simply bought one instead.

More: This photo of Meghan McCain weeping over her father’s casket inspired thoughts of support, love

More: Someone renamed a Senate office building for John McCain on Google Maps

 

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2BWGOzv

If you were a child growing up in the late 90s or early 2000s, odds are you remember the most entertaining and hilariously nonsensical way of listening to music: HitClips.

In 1999, Hasbro’s Tiger Electronics released the “slick micro audio systems” known as HitClips, tiny  memory card-like chips that contained a 60-second “clip” of a super popular song. In the early days, that meant tracks from Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Britney Spears, and later they included middle school anthems from Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff, Simple Plan, and more.

While, from a tech standpoint, HitClips clearly weren’t the most innovative devices, they had such a strong cultural impact that for years, people actually felt compelled to spend money on tiny snippets of full songs — a concept that, in hindsight, seems impossibly absurd.

So what exactly made HitClips so successful? And could they ever follow vinyl’s path and make a comeback in today’s world? To answer these questions, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

I recently uncovered my old HitClips players when attempting to clean my basement, but much to my dismay, my extensive song library — hot jams by A*Teens, Baha Men, Aaron Carter, Destiny’s Child, Dream Street, and dozens more — is still packed away somewhere.

Luckily, a single chip was with the devices. Unfortunately for us, that chip happened to be *NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me,” which is now almost exclusively associated with memes.

The history of HitClips

HitClips initially debuted as toys in select McDonald’s kids meals, but became so popular that they transitioned to the main toy/electronics market. That’s when things got really exciting.

From 1999 to 2004, HitClips captivated the minds of budding young music lovers, and over the years, the brand ambitiously moved from basic listening devices to tiny CD players and fun extras.

Back in the day, a player cost $20.00 and a cartridge went for $3.99, which seems like a lot of money, even now. But the price seemed worth it back then considering the collectible tunes quickly became status symbols for America’s youth. In school hallways and on playgrounds, the more clips that swung from your keychains, backpacks, or belt loops, the cooler you were. Life was once as simple as that.

The basic player

Image: martha tesema/mashable

The anatomy of most original HitClips devices were the same. Each player was about two inches long, had a slot for the chip, a single headphone wire that connected to an earpiece, a “Play” button, and a clip on the back so that users could conveniently fasten the devices to their clothing.

One of the first HitClips players I ever purchased (picture above) had a headphone wire that was just 12 inches long, which essentially meant that unless you were extremely petite, there was no way you could clip that thing on your belt and listen to music at the same time.

HitClips eventually remedied this flaw, and though users still dealt with poor sound quality, no volume control, and an inability to enjoy music in both ears, I like other naive children considered these toys among my most prized possessions.

HitClips Discs

Image: martha tesema/mashable

As if the tiny versions of cassette tapes weren’t adorable (and unnecessary) enough, in 2003 (near HitClips’ retirement,) Tiger Electronics created HitClips Discs that played not one, but TWO minutes of music. Ca-chingggg.

These li’l Oreo-creme-filling-sized discs completely upped the game, but also required completely new players. So in the spirit of not making the original HitClips chips completely irrelevant (they were pricey, after all,) several hybrid devices that played both varieties were invented.

The extras

Image: martha tesema/mashable

As any true fan of the amateur listening device will tell you, the real HitClips magic lay beyond the straightforward players.

You were nothing unless you had some snazzy HitClips extras, like an FM radio scanner attachment, or a three-inch-long boom box that played your tunes out loud for all to enjoy. There was an alarm clock, a Dance Bot, and even a karaoke device called the HitClips Groove Machine that somehow featured Destiny’s Child in its commercial.

These came in handy and made the very limited devices a bit more functional. Who wouldn’t want to blast a minute of Smash Mouth’s “All Star” over and over again?

Less is more: An elaborate sham

The allure of HitClips is best summed by a moment from an episode of The Office where Michael Scott keeps listening to the iTunes Music Store preview of James Blunt’s “Goodbye My Lover” on repeat after breaking up with his girlfriend Carol.

When his colleague Dwight Schrute asks, “Why don’t you just buy the whole song?” Michael replies, “I don’t have to buy it. I just want a taste of it.”

Now, in this particular scenario, Michael was likely too cheap to purchase the full song. But the sentiment still remains. HitClips did an excellent job of making consumers feel like they needed only a taste of a song to be satisfied. And our silly little brains — distracted by the novelty of miniature music players and more collectible clutter for our keychains — cast aside any shred of reasonable thinking and believed this to be true.

Think about it: People were willing to spend money on part of a song when FULL SONGS existed for less. And in some cases, people (me) already owned the full songs and even full ALBUMS, but still chose to pay more money for a song clip. That’s madness. And it worked, because by 2002, Tiger Electronics had reportedly sold more than 20 million HitClips devices, bringing in $80 million. And that doesn’t include sales through 2004.

There’s certainly an argument that HitClips were more convenient to carry around than Walkmans or CD players, but when you really sit back and think about the logic of it all, it doesn’t seem to hold up. In reality, we all got duped with HitClips. But in the moment, all that really mattered was that we felt trendy AF.

Can HitClips make a comeback?

It’s been about fourteen years since HitClips were discontinued, and though they’ll always hold a special place in our nostalgia-hungry hearts, the thought of a resurgence today is truly laughable.

Nowadays iTunes gives you a 1:30 song preview for FREE, and charges $1.29 on average for a single track. So why would anyone go back to paying more for less music? 

Today we’re accustomed to high-tech touch screens, shareable playlists, and instant gratification. In other words, we’re spoiled. Imagine paying money for iTunes and Spotify song previews. You would NEVER — especially when you have access to free songs on YouTube and Spotify (if you’re willing to endure a few occasional advertisements). And since streaming caught on, most people have stopped purchasing music altogether in favor of streaming service subscriptions. 

Though HitClips would likely still capture the interest of kids, for the adults who once owned them, reverting back song clips would be a bit like trying to switch back to dial-up internet. (Okay, MUCH less painful than that.) The point is, we’re too advanced and too impatient now.

I will say, when I brought my devices to the office, my coworkers were really feeling them. And HitClips still remain a topic of nostalgia-tinged jokes.

Foolish or not, these toys were an important step in music history that helped prep the world for the iPod’s release in 2001. For many people, HitClips served as a first experience with a handheld, deconstructed mix tape. Unlike Walkmans and CD players, HitClips let you switch between songs and artists with ease. There was no skipping through tracks you didn’t like — you simply selected the song you wanted from your collection of clips.

Sure, they were much less advanced than iPods, but the concept foreshadowed the mind-blowing tech to come. And after the iPod came out, HitClips helped fill voids in the hearts of those who were still too young to own an Apple product.

HitClips aren’t likely to make a comeback, unless, as Twitter user @punchworm suggests, an ~extra~ brand tries to revive them for nostalgia’s sake.

But if you’re dying to live the HitClips lifestyle now, you can buy them on Amazon or eBay for a pretty penny. Until then, I offer you the best of both worlds with this HitClips-themed Spotify playlists.

But remember, you should listen to just a minute each song if you really want that nostalgic vibe.

Tehran, Iran – A large sign looms over the entrance to Dr Sapir Hospital, Iran’s only Jewish medical facility located on a busy street in downtown Tehran.

“Love your neighbour as yourself,” it reads in Persian, echoing a command found in the Jewish religious text, Torah.

“From the beginning, there was a very important regulation in this hospital: We cannot ask about the religion of the patient. Here, we only ask about the pain of the patient,” Dr Siamak Morsadegh, the hospital director, explained. 

“We want to do our best for all the Iranian people,” added the middle-aged surgeon.

For 76 years, the Dr Sapir Hospital has been a fixture in Tehran’s Oudlajan neighbourhood, once a Jewish quarter just blocks from the capital’s centuries-old Grand Bazaar and Iran’s parliament.

Most of the Jewish residents in the area have since left, but the hospital has remained open, sustained by funds from the Tehran Jewish Committee. It continues to operate as a charity hospital serving mostly low-income patients from the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood.

Currently, 98 percent of the patients and 95 percent of the staff at Dr Sapir Hospital are non-Jewish.

Over the years, the hospital has weathered some of the most turbulent episodes of Iran’s history, such as the 1979 revolution, during which its medical staff treated protesters and hid them from the Shah’s feared secret police, the Savak.

But now, with the return of the US sanctions in the wake of Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Morsadegh and his hospital staff are facing the dilemma of how to take care of their most vulnerable patients.

Just like other hospitals across Iran, Dr Sapir Hospital’s access to imported medications for life-threatening conditions has turned precarious.

Although medicines from abroad are not covered in the first round of US sanctions that was announced earlier in August, the impact is the same as bank payments from Iran for these drugs are now blocked. As a result, disruption could have life-and-death consequences on ailing Iranians.

At the same time, the value of the currency, rial, has also plummeted against the US dollar, due to the economic uncertainty brought about by sanctions. That has driven inflation higher, forcing Iranians to spend more to afford treatment.

A second round of punitive measures against Iran’s energy sector are expected in November.

The US said those steps are necessary to stop Iran’s nuclear ambition, and to curb its influence in the Middle East. It has vowed to continue the pressure, until Iran decides to give in to its US demands – a prospect that Tehran has so far  rejected.

‘Punishing ordinary Iranians’

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had referred to the US moves as part of a “psychological war against Iran”.

According to a Tehran Times report, 40 percent of Iran’s pharmaceutical raw materials and five percent of its medicines are imported.

An article in the Independent recently reported about the shortage of chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients, following the reimposition of sanctions.

For Morsadegh, there is no doubt that the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump, a property tycoon and former reality TV star, are meant to punish ordinary Iranians.

“I am sure that Trump does not know what shame is, because he is doing his best to deprive the sick children in Iran from the treatment of their malignancy,” he said.

“A man, whose best activity is owning a casino, cannot understand the condition of a family with a sick child,” he added, surrounded by an Iranian flag and a portrait of Moses and Aaron – prophets in Abrahamic religions – inside his office at Dr Sapir Hospital.

Aside from his hospital duties, Morsadegh – who could be mistaken for the iconic American television character Tony Soprano, with his large build and baritone voice – is also a member of the Iranian parliament, the only Jewish among the 290 legislators.

Since 2008, he has represented the more than 25,000 Iranian Jews before the national assembly, also known as the Majlis.

Balancing both roles has a number of challenges, Morsadegh acknowledged.

“But we have a saying, ‘God loves the foolish and the surgeon’. And course God loves a foolish surgeon such as me. So he makes it work for me,” he said, clutching his prayer beads with his left hand.

Turning more sombre on the issue of US sanctions, and the animosity between Tehran and Washington, the doctor said Iranian Jews stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Islamic Republic’s policy.

“We are not a different group from other Iranian people. We are part of the Iranian nation,” he said, adding that there is no contradiction between being an Iranian and Jewish. 

“Any decision that is made by the Iranian nation, about its national interest, about its border and about its relationship with other people is accepted by Iranian Jews,” Morsadegh added.

Iran’s deep-rooted Jewish ties

Younes Hamami Lalehzar, a senior rabbi at Abrishami Synagogue, one of the more than 50 Jewish house of worships in Tehran, said it might come as a surprise to many but Jewish ties to Iran go back as far as 2,700 years ago.

It is believed that the Jewish heroine, Esther, and her uncle Mordechai are buried in the western Iranian city of Hamedan. According to Jewish biblical text, Esther was married to the Persian king, Xerxes.

In more contemporary history, Iran also welcomed Jews, who were fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. And during Germany Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s rampage of Europe, Polish Jews sough refuge in Iran.

But there have also been periods of unrest, such as the forced conversion of Jews to Islam during the Safavid and Qajar era, and the migration of thousands of Iranian Jews to the US following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.  

“Jewish lives in Iran are connected to other Iranian lives, they are not separated,” said Lalehzar, who is also an internal medicine specialist at Dr Sapir Hospital.

Lalehzar said Iranian Jews “share the sorrow” and experience of the whole country with the return of US sanctions.

‘We are united’

Khodad Asna Ashahri, a Muslim man who as the manager at Dr Sapir Hospital is Morsadegh’s most trusted deputy, said that throughout his five-decade-long career at the facility, Jewish and non-Jewish staff have worked side-by-side to serve patients “regardless of their religion, colour or origin”. 

During the eight years of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the hospital allotted at least 30 percent of its capacity to treat wounded soldiers, he said. At that time, many Iranian Jews fought and died in the war.   

 

Amid the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran and its consequence on the country’s healthcare, Ashahri said Iran “won’t submit to humiliation” by the US. 

“Muslims and Jews, we are all united. Even if our situation gets worse and worse, we won’t surrender to Trump’s demands,” said Ashahri, calling on the Us president to “stop these warmongering measures”.

Since his decision in May to withdraw the US from the landmark nuclear deal, Trump has said he is willing to speak to Iran’s leadership without preconditions – even though, his comments were instantly walked back by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who listed several steep demands for such a summit to take place.

Meanwhile Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in the country’s most important political decisions, has ruled out negotiations with the Trump administration – a stance that Morsadegh backed.

“I must be crazy to again have a dialogue with a man, when he does not want to keep his promise,” he said. “We cannot tolerate this, and we cannot accept this.” 

No matter what Iran’s political and economic prospect would be, Morsadegh vowed to continue doing his “first passion” as a doctor “to decrease the suffering of the people” in Iran.

“Going to the parliament for me is a duty for my country and for the Iranian Jews. My work in this hospital is my duty as a human being.”

Steven Gerrard’s nine-man Rangers survived a frantic second-half Ufa onslaught to clinch a place in the Europa League group stage.

The Scottish Premiership side remain unbeaten in 12 games under Gerrard despite playing the final 24 minutes with a two-man deficit after Jon Flanagan received a second booking.

Alfredo Morelos had earlier been shown his second red card of the campaign – this time being given a second yellow for dissent after being cautioned for kicking the ball away.

At that stage, Rangers were ahead 2-1 on aggregate after Ovie Ejaria’s curling shot was cancelled out by Dmitri Sysuev’s leveller.

Ufa registered 26 attempts as they pushed late on but they found Allan McGregor and his defence a formidable barrier, with an injury-time strike ruled out for offside.

Rangers now visit Celtic in Sunday’s Old Firm game having reached the group stage of a European competition for the first time since the 2010-11 Champions League.

‘Heroic defending & Morelos’ red mist’

Nobody could have foreseen the nervy second half that would befall Rangers when Ejaria’s stunning opener put the Glasgow outfit into the lead on nine minutes.

Flanagan’s cross was not dealt with by the Ufa defence and the on-loan Liverpool defender curled his shot high into the net from just inside the box to leave the Russians needing three goals to prevent the Premiership side reaching the group stage.

Rangers had not conceded a goal away from home in three European ties this season until Sysuev struck on 33 minutes – running in on goal and slotting beyond McGregor despite looking marginally offside.

The equaliser caught the Scottish side by surprise, and was one of the few times Gerrard’s defence appeared vulnerable at the Neftyanik Stadium.

Ufa still needed two more goals, but the tie appeared to take an even more ominous turn on 38 minutes.

Morelos was booked for kicking the ball away after being penalised for a challenge, and a second yellow followed after he directed his frustrations towards the officials.

It was the Colombian striker’s second red card of the season, having been dismissed for a kick at Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna in the opening game of the season, albeit the punishment was later downgraded to a booking.

That left Rangers facing just short of an hour with a man disadvantage and their task became even more daunting on 66 minutes, when referee Tobias Stieler penalised Flanagan for a high elbow.

Then the Ufa cavalry charge began. Vyacheslav Krotov hit a post and Jemal Tabidze had the ball in the net in injury time, but it was ruled out for a foul on Ejaria.

Rangers defended desperately, though, and did enough to ensure European football until Christmas.

‘Selfish Morelos put team in trouble’ – analysis

Former Rangers & Scotland striker Billy Dodds on BBC Sportsound

The biggest disappointment is that Morelos had so many opportunities to get himself out of the situation and ensure he stayed on the park but he didn’t take them. It’s so selfish and he put his team in a lot of trouble.

People were asking the question of Steven Gerrard and whether he was tactically good enough. He’s answered a huge question. Rangers rode their luck at times but it was a brilliant performance.