'Game Of Thrones' Might've Confirmed That Fan Theory About Coldhands

"Game of Thrones" is getting Bran-tastic for book readers.

(Warning! This post is dark and full of spoilers!)

Through Bran, a lot of "Game of Thrones" mysteries are finally getting revealed. In Episode 5 this season, "The Door," fans found out the true meaning behind Hodor as the character held back wights to save Bran from an attack. And Sunday's episode, "Blood of My Blood," may have confirmed one of the most popular fan theories yet:

Benjen Stark is Coldhands.

Welcome back Uncle #Coldhands #Benjen #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/xRSj9qdo04

- justin gallegos (@hbking90) May 30, 2016

In George R.R. Martin's books, Bran Stark is helped to the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven by a mysterious figure we know as Coldhands. The character has the look of a wight and has blackened hands from congealed blood. We don't know much about Coldhands' past except that his clothes make it appear that he was a member of the Night's Watch. 

Though the character's true identity is a mystery, fans have theorized for a while that Coldhands is secretly Benjen Stark, Bran's uncle who went missing after going beyond the Wall.

This week, a character who seems to match the description of Coldhands showed up and saved Bran from wights. Later, we found out this is Bran's uncle Benjen. The major theory seems to be confirmed.

But...

Image: Tumblr

It's unknown if this realization is show-only or not. George R.R. Martin has seemingly said Coldhands isn't Benjen in the books, and the show has already done major variations in order to adapt the story to the screen.

We may need to wait until Martin's next book, The Winds of Winter, comes out to see if Benjen is Coldhands. But, we're all about it.

As Redditor ImABarnacle says:

"ALL ABOARD THE BENHANDS HYPE TRAIN!!!"

Chugga, chugga, woo, woo! 

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Court Orders Mississippi Town To Desegregate Schools

(Reuters) - A federal court has ordered a Mississippi town to consolidate its junior high and high schools in order to fully desegregate its school system after a 50-year battle the town has waged with the U.S. Department of Justice, agency officials said Monday.

Black students and white students in Cleveland, Miss., are largely separated into two high schools, one mostly white and one mostly black, according to the announcement.

The situation is similar with the town's middle school and junior high - one has mostly black students, and the other is historically white, officials said.

As a result of the order, handed down late Friday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, the Cleveland School District will combine the two high schools together, as well as join the junior high and middle school into one, desegregating the secondary schools for the first time in the district's 100-year history.

School officials could not immediately be reached to comment.

The court rejected two alternative plans posed by the district, calling them unconstitutional and saying that the dual system the district has been running has failed to achieve the highest possible degree of desegregation required by law.

"Six decades after the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education declared that 'separate but equal has no place' in public schools, this decision serves as a reminder to districts that delaying desegregation obligations is both unacceptable and unconstitutional," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Cleveland, with a population of 12,000, is home to Delta State University and sits in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, where many of the early slave owners ran cotton plantations along the Mississippi River.

A railroad track divides the city both geographically and racially, a common occurrence in many Delta towns.

According to the court opinion, testimony from both black and white community members supported the integration of the schools and noted that the perception had been that white students attended better schools.

"The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of an integrated education," the opinion read. "Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden."

(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas; Editing by Alistair Bell)

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Video Shows Tractor-Trailer Overturn On Tappan Zee Bridge

A tractor-trailer hauling scrap metal flipped onto its side on New York's Tappan Zee Bridge during Friday morning's rush hour, just ahead of a vehicle that captured the horrifying crash on video. 

No one was hurt in the wreck that scattered metal cargo and parts from the tractor-trailer over the northbound lanes of the bridge, which spans the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties.

The video shows the big rig, traveling at highway speed, as its trailer flips onto its left side and pulls the tractor over with it. The trailer's wheels and axle roll toward the wreck scene after the rig comes to rest.

Police told the Journal News the crash was caused by a failure in the truck suspension system, sending the trailer out of control. At least five other vehicles were hit by debris, the newspaper reported, but damage was minor. 

The crash happened just before 9 a.m. on a heavily trafficked route to New York City. The span was closed in both directions for four hours, creating miles-long backups, FOX 5 NY reported.

Scary morning on the tappan zee bridge. #blessed pic.twitter.com/00yT2ed8CV

- Hailey Matesic (@mrsmatesic) May 13, 2016

The Tappan Zee Bridge is closed in both directions due to an overturned tractor trailer in the N/B lanes. pic.twitter.com/k6G7zRO533

- RocklandFires (@RocklandFires) May 13, 2016

Photos from #TappanZee truck crash. pic.twitter.com/g8jmkMRWMu

- Greg Saperstein (@gregsaperstein) May 13, 2016

Pictures taken by witnesses showed a chaotic scene, with scrap metal from the wrecked truck and a concrete lane barrier that appears to have been slammed out of place.

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Small Business Week: Tips for Selling or Ending Your Startup or Small Biz

This week is the SBA's Small Business Week, so we'll be featuring legal advice for small businesses all week long. Today's topic is closing up the shop you opened -- how to sell or end your business. Most entrepreneurs don't...

Top 7 Crowdfunding Tips for Small Business

Getting the money to start your small business is never easy. Or maybe you need cash to expand or take advantage of a new market or idea. Either way, you might be seeing the success of GoFundMe, Indiegogo, and Kickstarter...

Justin Trudeau Cautions Political Leaders On Dealing With Voter Anger: 'Fear Is Easy'

WASHINGTON -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the type of leader that makes many progressives think about moving north these days. He's a self-proclaimed feminist with a substantive policy agenda who talks about how government can achieve remarkable progress for its citizens if only people work together. 

In other words, he's the opposite of Donald Trump. 

"No progressive movement can succeed if it doesn't embrace the fundamental truth that diversity is strength. ... The optimism and the generosity that we see in our communities on both sides of the border -- that's what we need to focus on. You see, fear is easy. Friendship? Friendship takes work," Trudeau said Friday.

The United States isn't the only place where frustrated voters have looked for change. Right-wing movements across the globe have taken advantage of people's economic anxieties and insecurities. And Canada has not been immune to these trends. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a member of the Conservative Party, stoked Islamophobic fears during his time in office. 

Trudeau tried to argue Friday during a speech in downtown Washington that it's possible to counter those tactics -- and still win public office. It was a message that the progressive crowd, brought together by the Center for American Progress and Canada 2020, was no doubt reassured to hear. 

"First of all, you have to understand, if there's a rise of people being angry and being willing to point fingers at others for their problems, you can't just tell them they're wrong," he said. "You have to look at why is that anxiety there?"

Trudeau argued that people feel like they made a deal with the governments of the past few decades: We will support your pro-growth policies, and that rewards will help not only society but also us as individuals. 

"And unfortunately, we've gotten a certain amount of growth, but people are wondering, 'Well, we supported those agendas, but where are the fruits of that agenda to me? How come the growth that has created tremendous prosperity for the wealthiest hasn't lifted the middle class at all?' And there's a danger that people will start pulling away their support for policies that stimulate and create growth if we don't figure out a way of including them in the prosperity that was created by that growth," Trudeau said. 

The prime minister said that during the 2015 Canadian elections, the Conservative Party tried to play into this anger through nasty -- but effective -- "Rovian politics," referring to the underhanded tactics made famous by Karl Rove, the former aide to President George W. Bush. 

Trudeau said he made the decision to forego that sort of campaigning -- a move that brought skepticism from many progressive who said he just couldn't win without pushing back. 

"I said, 'No, it's not that we're not going to respond, but we're going to respond in the right way. And what I heard from Canadians across the country is, we don't like negative attacks. But they work. ... [W]e found that indeed, perhaps Canadians had grown cynical over politics, but they'd also grown very tired of having to be cynical about politics. And preventing a strong, inclusive fearless view of the future in the face of negative attacks was really really important."

Trudeau was in Washington this week for a state visit with President Barack Obama. 

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Michelle Obama Wows In A Strapless, Floral Gown At State Dinner For Canada's Justin Trudeau

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau for a state dinner at the White House on Thursday night.

It was the first time a U.S. president has hosted Canada's prime minister at a state dinner since 1997. There was poutine! There was Canadian whisky! There was butterscotch ice cream! And there was FLOTUS, in a stunning Jason Wu gown. 

The custom-made strapless dress, which appears to be embroidered with a colorful, floral pattern, looked absolutely beautiful paired with a loose hairdo just a bit shorter than her cut at the China state dinner last year. While the first lady has worn designs by Wu in the past, the choice is especially notable for the Canadian dinner, as Wu was raised in Canada. 

Obama's dress wasn't the only style win of the night.

Sophie Trudeau looked absolutely stunning in a fuchsia gown with pink and orange beaded detailing by Canadian designer Lucien Matis that almost coordinated with the first lady's as they posed for photos together.

Sigh. To be a fly on that fancy, fancy wall.

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