Fantasy Football ranking 2011: Manning's Injured Neck Can Support Your Squad

With Peyton Manning, there is an uncertain future with his neck, and it has led to concerns around his ability to carry the Indianapolis Colts to success next season

As a fantasy owner, injuries like these are worrisome, and they serve as red flags to cautious team owners, who don't. want to end up on the wrong end of a down season from one of the game's. most prolific passers. The last thing you want is to take Manning, hope for the best, and end up sitting there as he lays an egg week behind week

With the lockout in the rearview, that is one of the biggest concerns, and despite the genuine fear, fantasy owners shouldn't. worry around Indianapolis'. signal caller, despite his very-public setbacks. Manning is one of the most enduring players in all of football, and if he is able to come back and do what he does best year behind year, a little lockout won't. hold him back that much

This is a tough injury, and the recovery has been difficult, but he isn't. too far away from the field, and when he gets with his doctors and therapists, they will create sure that he is in top shape for Week 1 of the season. It would be foolish to avoid one of the most consistent fantasy performers of all time, just because of some concern around his recovery from surgery

Thanks to the bad news, you might truly be able to find him later than usual, as owners opt to go for running backs and more healthy quarterbacks. It can be common, but if you have the courage to take Manning, you'll. be the one having the last laugh as he helps guide you to a league crown

The days of him being selected above top running backs are over, but there is no reason that Manning shouldn't. be one of the first signal callers selected in your league's. draft. Whatever you do, do no let his injury history and prolonged recovery scare you away

If you do, you will regret it, as one lucky owner scoops him up and has a field day on the competition week behind week.



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Anna Calvi talent it her all and got something back

To know the power of Anna Calvi’s voice, it helps to listen to her cover of Leonard Cohen’s Joan of Arc. It’s an instrumental

“I just thought, so many people have interpreted him as singers; there doesn’t need to be any more,” the British singer told in May, a few hours before making her Canadian debut in Toronto. “I felt like the way I could contribute is to recreate this beautiful atmosphere that he tells in the story just through music”

Calvi’s full-throated vibrato may register on the Richter scale; her whisper may be so finespun, it’s barely there. She has a disciplined awareness of once to use either — or neither: her self-titled debut opens with an instrumental
(Rider to the Sea) that typifies Calvi’s cinematic arrangements, her mastery of tension and release, and her belief that the right notes may say more than the right words

“Listening to music is quite like hypnosis, truly. It’s around being taken to another place, and being lost in the space of a song. I do like that idea, and so I truly want the music to tell the story as much as the lyrics”

A desire in line with Brian Eno’s aesthetic, which can be one reason he became an early champion of Calvi. Further support came from Nick Cave, who brought her on tour with his libidinous scuzz-rock quartet Grinderman last year. The latest endorsement came last week: a nomination for Britain’s Mercury Prize, the prestigious artistic-merit award upon which Canada’s Polaris Music Prize was modelled

High-profile accolades and honours weren’t a consideration once Calvi was preparing her debut; neither was the most basic level of success

“I was making a lot of it before I was signed, and I had no idea if anyone would like it, or if anyone would ever hear it. But I was still putting everything that I had into it. That’s a lot to give without knowing if you’re going to find anything back, and sometimes that’s a bit scary

“But you know, I don’t think art should be simple. It should be a struggle. It’s part of what makes it mean so much. You’ve truly been through something to find out with this piece of work”

Calvi assembled the mosaic of her album slowly, “like with painting — you find the strong main colours, and then you go in and you do the small work. That small work I like to take my time with”. The done entire is both minimalist and carefully detailed, featuring unsettling silences as well as subliminal washes of sound and backing vocals that start to coalesce behind repeated listens. There are elements of vintage chanson (No More Words), a steely touch of Patti Smith (Desire) and a peppering of flamenco. That might sound all above the place, but Calvi stitched her lifetime of influences into a deliberate vision

Everything in Calvi’s songs and presentation is carefully developed, from her flamenco-inspired stage outfits (“I desirable to wear clothes that expressed the passion in the music”) to her strength-through-silence charisma in concert (“It’s kind of like anti-performance, but it ends up being a more dramatic performance because of it”) to the maverick guitar/harmonium/drums core of her band to her resonant vocals (“I’m truly a soprano, but I sing much lower”). The latter is particularly astonishing — not just because Calvi’s speaking voice blends into the blur of passing traffic, but because she began singing only five years ago

“For years and years, I was thinking it must be so awesome to express yourself in such a way — using your essence, really, because your voice is your essence. … But I don’t fit into the mould of what I thought a singer should be. I have a quiet speaking voice, and I suppose I’m reasonably reserved with people I don’t know. My idea of a singer was so opposite of that: someone who wants to be the centre of attention, who’s got a truly loud voice”

While transforming herself into a vocalist, she discovered that she “felt more passionate once singing lower” — and if there’s a single motivating force in her art, it’s passion. The word crops up repeatedly once discussing Calvi’s songs and inspirations; despite her perfectionist streak, one gets the feeling she doesn’t have time for music that’s more studied than emotional

“Can you give me an example of a more studied musician?”

Brian Eno

“Ooh — controversial. I feel that Brian Eno approaches music as an artist approaches a conceptual piece of work, and that doesn’t have to be unemotional. It’s thoughtful. What I get unemotional is music that’s obviously careerist — people trying to sell lots of records and play on the main stage of Glastonbury. That’s what I can’t connect with. People wanting to explore ideas, I think, is interesting. There is a sort of passion there”.


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NFL Free Agency: Sidney Rice to Seattle Seahawks, Kyle Orton to Dolphins

NFL Free Agency: Sidney Rice to Seattle Seahawks, Kyle Orton to Dolphins. The Seattle Seahawks continue to upgrade its offense by acquiring wide receiver Sidney Rice in a contract deal of $41 million in five years with $185. million guaranteed in a report by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Rice played for the Vikings since he was drafted but he had a hip injury in 2010 season limiting his games

He will be reunited with quarterback Tarvaris Jackson whom he played with in the Vikings uniform. Seahawks just behind the lockout made sure that the team has enough players to compete in the coming season. Though Seahawks got past the wildcard round, the team needs firepower to go deeper in the playoffs

Rice was a reliable wide receiver with his speed and leaping ability his advantage against defenders. He will be back with Jackson to play with the Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Seahawks earlier this week lost Matt Hasselbeck who went to the Tennessee Titans

Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos is still looking for the possibilities of trading quarterback Kyle Orton who was placed in the trading block yesterday. Orton played greatly in the past seasons will have to get his new home before the start of the NFL

Reports earlier mentioned the Broncos shopping him to the Miami Dolphins which in need of a quarterback. Dolphins is interested in Orton as long as the team may lower his cap this season

Orton flourished with the offensive scheme of former coach Josh McDaniels. Orton came from the Chicago Bears in a Jay Cutler trade. Furthermore, Orton doesn’t want to be a back up of Tim Tebow as the quarteback of the Broncos.


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Mick Jagger: ‘Morbid and pathetic and very close to being ugly’

The Rolling Stones are shown
during rehearsal on April 8,
1964The. British band members,
fromleft,are, Brian Jones, guitar;
Bill Wyman, bass; Charlie
Watts,drums; Mick Jagger, vocals; and Keith Richards, guitar
Tuesday marks Mick Jagger’s 68th birthday. In honor of the rubber-mouthed, hallow-eyed, gorgeous-at-68 sprightly singer, I’m turning back to the archives of the Post Ever since I found our original review of the Beatles in 1964 and it wasn’t a pretty oneI’ve. been hoping to poke fun at ourshortsighted music reviewers again
Thanks to Mick Jagger, I’ve got
the chance. And what a delicious
chance it is. In 1964, the Post
wrote of the Beatles: “The British have to sit through dozens of dreadful American television programs. In return, we find the Beatles. As usual, we got gypped”Just a year and a half later an article appeared in the Post by Paul Richard entitled “Rolling Stones lacking in Beatle-like Finesse”. There is so much good in this article
The Rolling Stones were in town
yesterday but you didn’t miss
anything unless you happen to be 12 years old and a girl
The Stones are from England and
they play amplified guitars and
harmonicas and drums. They are
not the Beatles
The Beatles are smiley and nice
and funny. The Stones are morbid
and pathetic and very close to
being ugly
There are five of them. Four of
them play instruments and weigh
140 pounds each. Mick Jagger, the fifth, sings and stares and dances He was educated at the London School of Economics and weighs 146 pounds
They’re touring the United States so that all the 12-year-old girls who have had to create do with canned voices on records and radios can dress up and comb their hair and scream at them in person.
Dressing up is very important. If
you wear the right kind of boppy
little hat and eye-makeup and tight pants one of the Stones can wave at you
Mick Jagger doesn’t wave, he
points.He has a lot of thick brown uncombed hair and he dances while he sings. Yesterday he wore checked bell-bottomed hip-hugger pants and danced with his
microphone The microphone was on a long chrome-plated stand and had around weighted base to keep it from falling over. Jagger picked it up and jumped about and turned it upside down and hugged it “Ah caint find no sat-is-fac-tion,” he said He aslo played the tambourine with his wrist and his knees and hisrump “Ah caint find no sat-is-fac-tion,” he said Then he started to take off hisjacket.
He did it very slowly and
gracefully, and then almost — but not quite threw it into the
audience
“Eeeeeee,” told the
audience There were a lot of
policemen there too.
They formed a human
wall about the stage and shoved
back all the girls who tested to
take the put of the microphone
They held their nightsticks in their hands and shoved gently
Suddenly, from the midst of all
those girls, a young man in a red
sweater jumped on stage and made a desperate grab at Jagger’s
tambourine
The police got there first.They
twisted his arm and grabbed him
around the neck and pushed him to the floor and then dragged him struggling and kiccking up the aisle
Then suddenly it was over. Jaggerdropped the microphone and leaped off the stage into a sea of blue andvanished. The group was here for only a one-night stand
The Rolling Stones have made a lotof records and a lot of money. Thisreporter was said they were great
musicians and gave wonderful
concerts
This reporter was said wrong.


SOURCE:www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/mick-jagger-morbid-and-pathetic-and-very-close-to-being-ugly/2011/07/26/gIQAtu7YaI_blog.html

CFA Results Hit Wall Street

For the small percentage of students who managed to scrape
through Level I and Level II of the arduous
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, it is celebrations all aroundResults are out Tuesday and 39%of those who took the first leveltry passed, according to CFAInstitute.That is up from the 36%pass rate in December 2010. 43%passed the Level II exam.Theresults for Level III will beavailable in August
The CFA program, unlike the
MBA,is focused on investment
experience and has increasingly
become a mark of distinction for
investment professionals. It is often seen as career booster for Wall Street executives
It takes four years on an average
to find a CFA charter, according
to the CFA Institute.


SOURCE:www.thestreet.com/story/11198729/1/cfa-results-hit-wall-street.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN

Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2012

If you didn't. understand that Rockstar was working on Grand Theft Auto V you. can not know how video games work. But we'll. save that discussion for another time; the more interesting news is that the game might be coming out as soon as next year. According to a recent GameSpot interview with "sources close to the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary,the next installment in the blockbuster series is 'well. under way'. and is already having final touches such as minigames being applied to it"

Of course, a team has probably been working on the title since before Grand Theft Auto shipped, but Rockstar is good at keeping their franchise secrets safely under lock and key until they're. ready to reveal them. While most people seem to assume GTAV will take put in a re-creation of Vice City, I'm. hoping for someplace a little more exciting. Maybe something in a foreign country for once? I wouldn't. object to GTA London or Tokyo.

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President Obama speech: I am confident we may reach a compromise

Speaking from the White House in a nationally televised address, President Obama warned House Republicans and Senate Democrats to reach a deal before the end of the week, saying the stakes for the US. are enormous




“For the latest decade we spent more money than we took in,”
“If we stay on the current path…interest rates could increase…and we will not have enough money to pay for vital programs such as Medicare and Medicaid,” the president added. “Both parties have a responsibility to solve the issue”

“Defaulting on our obligations is a reckless approach,” and, “I am confident we may reach a compromise”

Mr. Obama’s speech comes as Capitol Hill lawmakers continue to debate whether to increase the nation’s debt limit

President Obama speech: I am confident we may reach a compromise

Speaking from the White House in a nationally televised address, President Obama warned House Republicans and Senate Democrats to reach a deal before the end of the week, saying the stakes for the US. are enormous

“For the latest decade we spent more money than we took in,”
“If we stay on the current path…interest rates could increase…and we will not have enough money to pay for vital programs such as Medicare and Medicaid,” the president added. “Both parties have a responsibility to solve the issue”

“Defaulting on our obligations is a reckless approach,” and, “I am confident we may reach a compromise”

Mr. Obama’s speech comes as Capitol Hill lawmakers continue to debate whether to increase the nation’s debt limit

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner proposed two separate solutions Monday, however, it remains unclear whether either proposal has the necessary support to pass. Both plans will face key tests on Wednesday, once Mr. Boehner and Mr. Reid each plan to bring their proposals to the floors of their respective chambers

The White House on Monday endorsed the plan place forward by Mr. Reid, which would cut spending by $27. trillion

“Senator Reid’s plan is a reasonable approach that should receive the support of both parties, and we hope the House Republicans will agree to this plan so that America may avoid defaulting on our obligations for the first time in our history,” told White House spokesman Jay Carney in a statement. “The ball is in their court”
enate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner proposed two separate solutions Monday, however, it remains unclear whether either proposal has the necessary support to pass. Both plans will face key tests on Wednesday, once Mr. Boehner and Mr. Reid each plan to bring their proposals to the floors of their respective chambers

The White House on Monday endorsed the plan place forward by Mr. Reid, which would cut spending by $27. trillion

“Senator Reid’s plan is a reasonable approach that should receive the support of both parties, and we hope the House Republicans will agree to this plan so that America may avoid defaulting on our obligations for the first time in our history,” told White House spokesman Jay Carney in a statement. “The ball is in their court”


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Pandora underwriters weigh in on stock price

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — numerous analysts with brokerages that underwrote the IPO of Pandora Media Inc. on Monday initiated their coverage of the streaming-music company with high marks for its growth opportunities, but one told Pandora’s shares already are at their full valuation

Ralph Schackart of William Blair, Doug Anmuth from JP. Morgan and Mark Mahaney of Citigroup all set ratings of either outperform or buy on Pandora’s P
-122%. stock. Anmuth
also set a target of $22 a share,while Mahaney’s target is at $25 a share

Pandora held its initial public offering on June 15, debuting at $16 a share and rising as much as 45% during the first day of trading. The stock rose 22 cents to $1825. Monday.

The analysts all cited Pandora’s commanding presence in the online-radio market, even as it accounts for just a sliver of the total share of US. radio-listening hours, among the reasons for their opinions on the stock.

Anmuth of JP. Morgan told Pandora has around 60% of the US. Internet-radio listening hours, but so far, only around 4% of the countries total market for radio-listening time. One of the keys for Pandora, he added, is growth on mobile devices, in tandem with the development of the mobile-ad market.

“There is significant opportunity for Pandora to improve the monetization of its listener hours,” Anmuth wrote in a research note. “Mobile advertising is at a very early stage of development, [and] Pandora’s monetization of an hour of mobile listening is substantially below the level of monetization is realizes from the Web”

Citigroup’s Mahaney told he doesn’t expect Pandora to start turning a profit until 2014, but maintains his $25-a-share target is reasonable based on analysis of factors, such as the company’s discounted cash flow and long-term growth rates.

While the majority of brokers believe Pandora’s stock has some room to grow, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jordan Rohan set a neutral rating and pegged his price target at $18 a share.

Rohan told Pandora’s content costs, which create up 57% of revenue, are rising, along with increased usage of Pandora’s services. Investors “appear already to be assuming a ramp[-up] in revenue and margins beyond current forecasts,” he pointed out


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Mario makes football fun

It took just a few seconds for Mario Balotelli's latest bizarre act to go viral. He swiftly trended on Twitter as links to the now-famous video clip peppered timelines across the globe. I duly clicked, watched, chortled. Then Tweeted on it myself. But when the dust had settled, though, there appeared to be quite the animosity towards the Manchester City striker for his actions. Why?
In a friendly match against LA Galaxy on Sunday, Balotelli, signed from Inter Milan for £24 million last summer, found himself clean through on goal, his side leading 1-0 after he had scored from the penalty spot. But, instead of putting his laces through the chance, he opted for an audacious pirouette, before backheeling the ball a few yards wide of the target. His team-mate, Edin Dzeko, who lurked just to his right, threw his arms up in disgust; City boss Roberto Mancini, meanwhile, got angry.

A bronzed Mancini pointed immediately in Balotelli's direction before waving a left hand at substitute James Milner. Minutes later, Balotelli trudged off, Milner replacing him. A verbal exchange then took place between Mancini and his Italian compatriot, with the latter seemingly indicating that he thought he was offside, hence the languid skill. Then, petulantly, he turned his back on his coach, strutting towards the bench whilst uttering under his breath. Mancini half-heartedly stalked him. A textbook throwing of a bottle then followed by Balotelli.

I am not defending 20-year-old Balotelli's reaction, he behaved like a brat and such a strop sends a poor message to the children watching. But doesn't Mancini, who worked with the attacker at Inter, know Balotelli well enough to anticipate he would have responded in such a way to being hooked? It may have got Mancini's goat, but why not wait until the interval to replace him, therefore quelling the media furore that would inevitably follow? Instead of talking about Uruguay's Copa America final win - a record-breaking 15th South American title - the footballing masses were chatting all things 'Super Mario' on Sunday evening. Then, of course, Mancini's press conference was dominated by it.

Speaking after the game, which City eventually won 7-6 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time, Mancini said: "I hope this is a lesson for him. In football you always need to be professional, always serious and in this moment he wasn't professional. If you are serious, you can play 90 minutes. If not, you can come and sit by me on the bench. Mario is young, I want to help him and that is the end of it. To take him off after 30 minutes is enough punishment. It won't have been easy for him but it has to be a lesson."

But serious is dull. Let us remember that City were criticised last season for at times being uninspiring. Ironing out this type of expression is not beneficial to the game, nor the supporter. Football needs its characters, and Balotelli is a mighty one. Petulance should be rid from football, but the dare to be daring must stay. The innovators, the characters, the expressive - they make football what it is: fun.

Imagine if the effort had gone in, then Mancini would have been in quite the pickle. One chap Tweeted: "It is certainly an insult that he tried it. Very disgraceful and distasteful. Good for Mancini taking him out." This I can't comprehend, yet it seems the majority view.

During a period when the lead story is usually some quotes from a player's agent telling us all the top clubs in the world want him, Balotelli's act was a comforting reminder of the sport's ability to entertain.

But the lasting concern from the incident is the message that hauling off of a player who attempted something different sends to youngsters. Punishment for experimentation produces a fear of failure. This has been England's problem for goodness knows how many years. If this was globally engrained we wouldn't have the Blanco 'bunny hop', Johan Cruyff's copyrighted turn or that daft seal dribble Kerlon does.

Ultimately, we should make consider whether his spin really was "disgraceful" or "insulting". He didn't flick a V-sign at the crowd, or spit in an opponent's face. He just did something a little bit different. And that is what Mario Balotelli is all about.

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Social Networking Site: Google +

 for elderliness today, I’ve been concern why Google hadn’t fabricated a proper social networking play. Aside from search and advertising, glimpse at its services: Gmail, Blogger, YouTube, Docs, Sites, Maps, Calendar, Shopping, Picasa ( picture storage ), Picnik ( picture editing ), Groups, Books, Learner, Questions, its Chrome OS and browser, not to speak of the Android OS for cellphones, some developed on its own, some from acquisitions. Put them well-organized, and you eyeful much own all you use. Eliminate that Google seemed reluctant to put them cool.

 Instead, we epigram Indicate, which didn’t willingly interest the waters, Buzz, a sort of Twitter me - terrifically, which soldiers on obscurely predominance a tab leadership our inboxes, and most recently, the + 1 button, which works analogous Facebook’s ‘Like’ button.

 Immediately, in future, the search behemoth is connections, squirrel the Google + Project, launched on June 28 impact a ‘limited field trial. ’

 G +, seeing we’ve present-day abbreviated factual, requires a chargeless Google ID, which is chewed got generally, but not exclusively, by signing up for Gmail. If you relevance a Google service, you would own noticed some changes, most notably a thin onyx bar that runs across the top of your browser window adumbrate, on the abandoned, the G - goods you reason and, on the appropriate, your settings and a link to your configuration. G + launches from that bar, and keeps you updated go underground a discreet image that turns wine when you have untouched G + notifications, visible equivalent when you’re using other G - services.

 G + ’s most visible aspect, Circles, operates congeneric Facebook’s babyish - used Lists: You sort persons you chase into Circles; you restraint so post messages to, or share things ( links, disc, photographs ) hold back persons privately, selected Circles or combinations of Circles, or accomplish ‘public’ posts or sharings that obligation sell for begin by anyone on the Interlacing. No Facebookian walled garden. The other jumbo alteration from Facebook: Substantial is asymmetric; you don’t hold to ‘friend’ someone to supplant or message them ( “Hi Larry Page! Hi Sergei Brin! ” don’t count on them replying, though ), but you engagement block or mean blocked. Which is Twitteresque, but for it’s much wider than Twitter, suppress granular inside track over who you share hold back, good point lots another qualification, privilege and user - friendliness. Like Sparks, which throws up fresh content for you on subjects you’re interested in ( which you can then ‘ + 1’ ). G + also plays nice with handhelds: Huddle lets you exchange messages via your phone with groups that you assemble on the fly; and Hangouts — a big hit already — is a group video chat application with little conceits like automatically enlarging the visual of the person speaking, with the video adjusting to bandwidth and device limitations. ( Caveat: Huddle isn’t private. Anyone with your Huddle link can join in. )
 Some limitations are already visible and annoying. Personal URLs are long: 21 numerals after the base http: / / plus. google. com /, impossible for most to remember. But the ecosystem is finding ways: Within days you could get shortened vanity URLs that redirected to G + pages ( I’m gplus. to / griff ). Then, Google sternly says that companies shouldn’t set up IDs, G + is only for real people. Naturally, a number of organisations are blithely ignoring that injunction. ( Proving Google hasn’t really anticipated what users will want. Marketers will kill to be where their audiences are. ) And there’s the requirement to use a real name, which runs counter to Google’s much - trumped support for anonymity and pseudonymity.

 But the big deal here is in the naming: This is the Google + Project, part of a much bigger plan, a reshaping of the Google experience and really, of Google itself. No longer does Google want to send you on your way after your search results; now, they’re betting the company on keeping you engaged, tearing you away from the world’s biggest time sink: Facebook.

 Google hasn’t said when the rest of the world can jump in, but rumour is that should be by end - July. Which, in Internet time, is an aeon, so don’t be surprised if it’s public by the time you read this.

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South Africa marks Mandela ' s 93rd birthday with call to help others

 Nelson Mandela sour 93 on Monday surrounded by family, being South Africans paid tribute to his relief by performing at virgin 67 tabloid of public service.

 Sixty - seven is the numeral of age the former South African harbinger devoted to public service.
 Mandela - - affectionately published by his humanity label Madiba was spending the stint rule Qunu, setting he grew up.
 South Africans amenable distinct activities to apotheosis a man credited with module bring well-balanced a nation separated by apartheid.

 Early Monday about 12 million students sang a smashing " Gleeful Birthday " song credit totality nationwide before they already their lessons.

 A trust called " Bikers for Mandela " rode around the country for eight days existence volunteer service, including depiciton playgrounds and planting trees. Their trip was near to nib prestige Pretoria on Mandela Eternity.

 Mandela little makes public appearances, with his last sighting at the closing ceremonies of the Apple Cup mastery South Africa last while
 He was briefly hospitalized prestige January for an acute respiratory disease, and continues to take possession medical care at inland.

 Under South Africa ' s apartheid regime, Mandela spent 27 elderliness in prison after being convicted of sabotage and attempts to overthrow the government. He was released in 1990 and became president in 1994.

 The United Nations joined his foundation in urging the world to perform 67 minutes of public service.

 " Together, the best way we can thank Nelson Mandela for his work is by taking action for others and inspiring change, " U.N.chief Ban Ki - moon said last week.

 " Tutor a child. Feed someone less fortunate. Care for your environment. Volunteer at a hospital or community center. Be a part of a global movement to make the world a better place, " Ban said.

 U. S. President Barack Obama, whose wife, Michelle, met Mandela last month, said the icon is " a beacon for the global community " and for those who fight for justice.

 " Madiba sets the standard for service worldwide, whether we are students, shopkeepers or farmers, Cabinet ministers or presidents, " the president said in a statement. " He calls on us to serve our fellow human beings, and better our communities. "

 The United Nations designated July 18 as Mandela Day in 2009.

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Women's World Cup final between U.S., Japan sparks Denver fans

 Europeans are admitted for their partly cultlike following of soccer. And for some fame Denver, the sport is a religion, cover The British Bulldog soccer bar whereas their cathedral and Abby Wambach whereas their principal.
 " I'm not a religious person, but this is uniform my sanctuary, " uttered Keith Laubhan, 29, of Denver, before Sunday's Women's World Cup final between the United States and Japan. " I come here, and I've got community. Able ' s elements of faith. "
 His barmate,Mario Nicolais, took sincere a step further.

 " I ' m religious, and I went to haven this morning and vocal a prayer for the U.S.women's governmental party, " Nicolais, 32, retorted squirrel a giggle.

 About 300 soccer fanatics drank, sang and chanted at the British pub, lone to digital watch the Americans avoid 3 - 1 imprint a amends shootout.

 Though the outcome wasn't what fans hoped for, general employer Wendi Reed tried to stack them motor response come through harbour redness, silver and moody beads, great American flags throughout the bar, big chants of " U-S-A " and habitual soccer songs.

 Isolated one pubgoer, Irishman Shane Barrett, predicted Japan ' s benefit.

 Barrett, who moved to Denver from Ireland nine months ago, woke up extra early to squawk the Japanese hymn imprint his at rest.

 " I ad hoc to amuse a limited fondness for Japan enterprise here, " he vocal, veil a smirk. " Of course I wanted to regard USA sweep, I was decent crucial to father embodied a stubby massed entertaining. "

 Continuance the USA bunch has skills, some fans at The British Bulldog pointed out that authentic hasn ' t indignant TV ratings that they ' re further attractive.

 According to Shayna Teutscha, a 33 - chronology - mature childhood soccer coach and teacher who lives in the Dominican Republic, Alex Morgan and Hope Solo may have caught male viewers ' attention, but men kept watching because of the team ' s talent and resiliency.

 " They just have a swagger, an attitude about them, " said Thomas Garza, a 24 - year - old from Thornton. " It ' s a lot prettier of a game to watch than the men ' s games. The men just seem like they ' re out to kill each other. The women, you see all of their skill and hard work, the look on their faces when they run for a ball. "

 Veronica Davis, 23, sporting an Abby Wambach jersey, added that female players tell the story of the game on their faces, which makes the loss even more heartbreaking.

 " You can see just how much they actually want to win, " Davis said.

 Not only did they emote, they spoke eloquently and with class to congratulate Japan. That kind of poise will be replicated by the more than 65,000 youth soccer players in Colorado, according to former girls coach Carisa Donahue,32,of Denver.

 " My girls are so geeked about this game, " she said. " They ' re super pumped. I ' m seeing all their Facebook posts and that they ' re getting together to watch the game. "

 Colorado College women ' s soccer assistant coach April Kater spent the last two weeks in Germany, where she watched eight World Cup games.

 While there, she thought the " American mentality " had captivated fans from all countries. The team finally caught the attention of its home country too. The previous two U.S.matches averaged more than 3. 5 million viewers.

 " At moments, we might not be playing the most attractive soccer, but we ' re getting it done and that ' s what counts, " she said.


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Casting Harry Potter's. Spell above Washington's. Debt Talks

Welcome to a world of loyalty and betrayal,a magical put where cryptic incantations and mysterious forces may bewilder the most inquisitive muggles
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? No, it's. the ongoing negotiations above the debt ceiling in Washington
The millions of Galleons and Knuts the final installment of the Harry Potter film series brings in this weekend would do little to help the avoid the looming legal limit on the federal government's. ability to borrow money. But some of the most frequently cast spells conjured by author JK. Rowling could come in handy as the negotiations between White House and congressional leaders intensify

If you have not keep reading the Potter books or seen the movies, or perhaps if you just skipped "charms" class that day, here are a few useful spells for those struggling with spending cuts and revenue options (supplemented with definitions from the Mugglenet, Harry Potter Wiki and Beyond Hogwarts fan sites). Wands up!

Accio: The "Summoning Charm," used to call an object to hand. President Obama already seems to have used this one to wonderful effect, both to bring congressional leaders to the White House for more talks or to gather scribes from the Daily Prophet and other news organizations for two official press conferences this week. Either way, the president has used the unwritten powers of his office to test to control the talks and cast the press coverage to his advantage

Avada Kedavra: Also known as the "Killing Curse". Mugglenet notes this is an "Aramaic phrase that means 'I. will destroy as I speak'". Others have more to say on the spell's. literary and linguistic origin. In political terms, there are two meaningful translations: "tax increase" and "entitlement cuts". Many in the halls of Congress fear that either meaning would lead to instant death once their core constituents next go to the polls. (Also see "Crucio," another "Unforgivable Curse" used to "torture your opponent mercilessly")

Confundus: A spell that the Harry Potter Wiki says "confounds your target, or makes them temporarily confused". In Washington, the targets mostly seem to be the press and the public. One way to counteract this charm is to sprinkle some analysis and in-depth reporting. With help from PolitiFactcom,. a news site NPR partnered with to fact-check campaign messages during last year's. elections, you sometimes may see through the spell — when, for instance, President Obama says Social Security checks can not go out if the debt ceiling isn't. increased by Aug. 3, or once House Speaker John Boehner talks around the millions of jobs created by Bush-era tax cuts. Works like a charm! In fact PolitiFact reporters also noticed Confundus spells cast by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, among others. (Also see "Stupefy," a spell that, as its name suggests, "stupefies an opponent, or knocks them insensible temporarily")

Engorgio: A spell the Harry Potter Wiki says "makes an item larger, as in swollen". The budget wizards on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue regularly use this charm to inflate spending cuts and savings. You might remember this one from April, once Congress and the president reached their Fiscal 2011 budget deal. All parties emphasized that the final agreement included $38 billion in savings. But the Congressional Budget Office used its own accounting magic to get that actual outlays would be reduced by far less — perhaps $20 billion to $25 billion, as White House correspondent Scott Horsley explained at the time on All Things Considered

Lumos: The spell "used to create a wand emit light," as Mugglenet defines it. A couple of useful sources of light have already been mentioned here — PolitiFact and the Congressional Budget Office. Another resource is the Concord Coalition, a non-partisan group that often provides clear explanations on complicated budgetary issues, including this recent explainer: "Understanding the Federal Debt Limit". And NPR's. Marilyn Geewax posted a "User's. Guide To The Budget Battles" on our site this week. It serves as a sort of Marauder's. Map for people trying to get their way about the debate

Reducio: Or the "Shrinking Charm," as Mugglenet calls it. This is the spell that seems most relevant in the current debt talks. But it also might be the one that's. least likely to be used. Reducing the nation's. accumulated debt is not truly on the table, because the debt can't. shrink until the budget is balanced and annual deficits turn into annual surpluses. And that would be some trick

The Potter novels offer at least one more lesson for fiscal muggles: Gamp's. Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Transfiguration is the transformation of one object into another. But in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book of the series, we learn that there are exceptions to this tenet of wizarding that limit which objects may be transformed. As studious Hermione tries to explain to Ron, "Your mother can't. produce food out of thin air. No one can"

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'Transformers. 3'. not life-changing

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is the latest film around warring robots who get their way to earth

MICHELLE: I think this was the only one of the "Transformers" I have watched. And I was kind of tricked into it. Allen is one of the nicest guys you'll. ever meet. But he's. got a dark side, and it comes out once he wants to see an action film. He simply told "the movie" was showing at certain times and asked if I'd. like to see it on Saturday. I told yes, thinking we were going to see "Horrible Bosses"

ALLEN: I dispute the over account. I maintain Michelle brought up "Transformers" first. I was surprised, but I went with it. I'm. not a particular fan of "Transformers". I didn't. grow up with them. I thought the first movie was pretty good, the second movie was unwatchable. Supposedly the reason for making this one is the fabulous 3D. The 3D is good. I'm. not sure it justifies a third giant-intelligent-robots-fighting movie

MICHELLE: I'd. heard from two smart women that this film was not to be missed. It just goes to show you that action films are made for women, too. I doubt either of these women were dragged by their significant others. One told she was going to see it again. So I gave it a shot. I thought it wasn't. horrible. I didn't. love it. But I can't. say you should rent it because it's. probably improved on the big screen. It is what it's. advertised to be  solid action sequences with a charming lead actor.Shia LeBeouf's.character is now out of college, and
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finds a dues-paying low-level office job tough behind saving the world with alien robots. He lives with his supermodel girlfriend in their castle

ALLEN: The movie has a lot of plot. More plot than a film of this type probably should have. It goes all the way back to the fifties and often involves a character spouting expositional monologues. Still you can't. fault the action sequences and the film has the god sense to play up the humor. One of the main autobots is voiced by Leonard Nimoy. At one point the character pronounces a line that will have "Star Trek" fans jaws dropping. This one depends on your mood

SOURCE

Obama-Dalai Lama meeting angers China

China has accused the US of harming bilateral relations behind Barack Obama, US president, met with the Dalai Lama, highlighting the challenges to efforts by Washington and Beijing to build more stable, friendly ties

Mr Obama’s move to meet with the Tibetan leader “severely interferes in China’s internal affairs, hurts the Chinese people’s feelings and harms China-US relations,” Ma Zhaoxu, foreign ministry spokesman, told in a statement on Sunday
Mr Obama greeted the Dalai Lama on Saturday for 45 minutes in spite of a stern appeal from Beijing to cancel the invitation
However, the White House made efforts to reduce publicity. The meeting was announced only hours in advance, shortly before the Dalai Lama was wrap up a 10-day visit to Washington, and was closed to the media. Mr Obama met the Tibetan religious leader in the private Map Room rather than in the Oval Office
The low-key arrangements followed the precedent set by Mr Obama’s first meeting with the Dalai Lama in February last year. George W. Bush, his predecessor, had greeted the Tibetan leader publicly and awarded him a medal
Speaking with the Dalai Lama, Mr Obama restated the official US position that Tibet is part of the People’s Republic of China and that Washington does not support independence for Tibet, but also underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China, according to the White House
Following the meeting, China summoned Robert Wang, the number two at the US embassy in Beijing. Mr Ma also called on Washington to “immediately take measures to eliminate adverse fallout”
In the past, Beijing has often punished other countries for meetings between their political leaders and the Dalai Lama by suspending certain parts of bilateral dialogue. But any fallout that serious has typically occurred if bilateral relations were already strained
Both China and the US consider bilateral relations to be on a positive footing, following a summit in January between Hu Jintao, China’ s president, and Mr Obama at which they renewed their pledge for a cooperative relationship, and with the recent resumption of military ties

“China-US relations are good right now,” told Yuan Peng, a US expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations


In the meeting with Mr Obama, which came just above a week before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to meet with Dai Bingguo, Beijing’s senior foreign policy official, in Shenzhen, the Dalai Lama expressed hopes for an improvement in his relations with China with US help
The Tibetan religious leader does not advocate independence from China, but Beijing has labeled him a ‘splittist’, and numerous rounds of talks on the issue with the Chinese government have failed to produce results
The meeting with Mr Obama comes amid another crackdown by Chinese authorities in Tibet. Tibetan rights groups outside China say the path on which Tibetan Buddhists traditionally circumambulate the Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama’s former residence, has been closed as the government is building a stage in front of the palace for official celebrations of the 60th anniversary of what Beijing calls the peaceful liberation of Tibet
A first wave of such celebrations was held in May, but construction on a grand scale is under way in and about Lhase in preparation for more such events later this year, according to Woeser, a Tibetan writer in Beijing
The Tibetan Autonomous Region is closed to foreign journalists and foreign tourists have also been barred since earlier this year, making objective information around the situation there difficult to obtain
The lockdown follows protests in March at Kirti, a Tibetan monastery in Sichuan province, which led to the detention of hundreds of monks and local Tibetans,

SOURCE

The cartoonist among us

Laisiasa Naulumatua is a real black and white character

Mr Naulumatua, far more widely known as Lai, is an artist whose best known medium is black pen on white paper and his chosen form is the cartoonalthough. he does also burst into colour in oil and watercolour paintings
While his cartoons often do fulfil the newspaper commitment to 'entertain'. they are not your 'Hagar. the Horrible'. style of visual amusement
They also fulfil the media commitment to 'educate'. and 'inform',. and in his case, to graphically analyse and comment on a situation
Since the 1960s, there has infrequently been a significant national event gone undrawn by Lai, whether it was a political drama, industrial action, yet another fuel price rise, a major rugby match or any other moment that interested or affected the Fiji population
For decades his work has appeared in the Fiji Times and other publications and a portfolio of his work is soon to be published

They present astonishingly sharp, perceptive views of Fiji life, printed on the op-ed page and labelled 'Lai's. Look'

His work often disclosed a facet of a current situation that was not generally being considered or cleverly exposed a truth that perhaps could not be written around in editorial columns with such clarity
They usually began with the collaboration between Lai and his long-time Fiji Times editor, Vijendra Kumar, who now lives in Queensland behind a later career on the Brisbane Courier Mail
"I used to start a few ideas bubbling by around Wednesday, then before 4pm on Friday I would call Vijendra and we would toss them about until we settled on a topic for the Saturday cartoon
"He might suggest a certain angle, I'd. incorporate a few ideas of mine, and then at 430pm.behind my work at FBC was done and with the manager's. permission - I would start drawing"
The result was Lai's. look at a by-election, or sugar politics, a hurricane aftermath, or a sporting victory
Lai had to find permission to draw cartoons for the newspaper because his 'day. job'. was Supervising Technician at Fiji Broadcasting Commission
As a Queen Victoria School boy in the cohort that included economist Savenaca Siwatibau and former Prime Minister Lasenia Qarase, he was selected to go into the Fijian administration

He lasted a fortnight

"We had to dress up and write like the colonial officers, with a pen dipped in ink"

He claimed he preferred to go back to his village, Nakobo in Cakaudrove, but in fact he spent a week or two hanging about Desai's. bookshop in Suva before being spotted by an FBC board member

Lai had his exam results in his pocket and they were enough to find him an interview with the general manager

On the strength of having passed Physics and when having fixed his grandmother's. sewing machine, he was given a job as a sound technician "in a room full of equipment I had never seen before in my life"

Even the airconditioning was a completely new experience, one that nearly froze his bare feet

He remained at Radio Fiji until his retirement, although for a few years he ran the Dateline book stores on the side

The enterprise began with a catalogue from a friend in Sydney and a couple of shelves in the old University of the South Pacific Club on his weekly two days off from the FBC
Each Wednesday and Thursday morning he would unload his stock from his battered old car, and each afternoon at 4pm he would pack it back into his car and shift the shelves out of the way
The enterprise grew to two shops in Suva city and another on campus with a lively range of titles, but to the wonderful regret of Suva readers he had to close once his business partner emigrated
His career as an artist and cartoonist, however, was a constant in his life
His break came in 1969 once the late Ratu David Toganivalu, then Minister without Portfolio, asked him to do political drawings for the Alliance Party in the run up to Fiji independence and the first general election
Lai was given his first cartoonist's. job on the Alliance's. weekly paper, the Nation, by then editor David Seidler, a writer who went on to Hollywood and this year won an Oscar for the screenplay of The Kings Speech that starred Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth and garnered many other awards
His first cartoon was a jibe at the Opposition National Federation Party featuring the three wise monkeys who in his version were blind, deaf and dumb to political realities
From that time on his black pen produced a parade of politicians, trade unionists and sportsmen that through the decades were national leaders and household words, as well as ordinary workers, villagers and Fiji characters that made 'Lai's. Look'. a national institution

As Lai grew in confidence, his style developed and his political caricatures in particular showed the evidence of his true talent

It was a natural talent, Lai never had a formal art lesson in his life but he picked up the artistic techniques and developed the skills that give serious quality to his work

Most recently he has been appointed artist in residence at Fiji National University, passing on his skills to some of the nation's. trainee teachers and aspiring artists on Lautoka Campus
The University is also opening a special course run by Lai to teach techniques of pencil and pen to all those interested in drawing or who want to discover the hidden cartoonist within

source

Amid security, Anthony released from Florida jail

Amid tight security, Casey Anthony, a Florida woman found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, walked out of a Florida jail early on Sunday

Witnesses saw Anthony, who had been acquitted on July 5 of culpability in Caylee's. death, exit escorted by guards wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying rifles, and stepped into a black SUV a few minutes behind midnight. The Orange County Jail later confirmed her release
A crowd of 300 had been waiting since midafternoon Saturday for Anthony's. release, and many rushed into the street to follow the vehicle as she was driven away, briefly blocking the eastbound lanes of a six-lane road before police cleared them away

Many carried signs for and against Casey Anthony, and some chanted Caylee's. name

A large police presence included the sheriff's. mobile command center, five horse-mounted officers and at least 20 uniformed officers on foot, many wearing bullet-proof vests. Three news helicopters hovered overhead
Since her acquittal, Anthony's. future behind three years in jail has been the subject of much speculation, but with no publicly known facts beyond her jail departure date
Pool reporters inside the jail saw Anthony and her attorney Jose Baez whiz by them in the lobby and exit swiftly through the front door
"She was just tunnel vision on that door," told Tony Zumbado, an NBC News cameraman. Anthony's. only words were "Thank you" to a jail sergeant, he said
A second pool reporter, Matt Sedensky of the Associated Press, quoted jail officials as saying Anthony -- wearing the tight hair bun seen during her trial, a bright pink shirt, jeans and bright blue sneakers -- left with the $53768. remaining in her inmate account

CROWD WAITING

Lori Richards, 54, of Daytona Beach and three friends set up a tent at 3 pm. (1900 GMT) outside the jail where they huddled through a brief lightning storm
"We're. here to support Caylee and we want them (the public) to boycott anything Casey or any of the Anthonys do," Richards said
Anthony's. release had been planned with the same precision that marked her high-profile murder trial
In recognition of the massive coverage expected of the release, media representatives and jail managers negotiated a plan which, much like modern war coverage, allowed embedded pool reporters and photographers to document her departure
Anthony's. trial revealed gruesome details of Caylee's. death and the disposal of the toddler's. remains in trash bags in swampy woods. The trial brought out evidence of Casey Anthony relishing her life, partying and shopping, behind Caylee died
Casey Anthony's. parents and brother had testified at the widely telecast trial. Her lawyer Baez acknowledged her outward lack of emotion above the death was "bizarre"
Her acquittal was met with shock and derision by much of the public, egged on by outraged television commentary
Charles Greene, Anthony's. defense lawyer in a related civil defamation lawsuit, said a judge on Friday that he had greeted seven threats against her

Source

First Look At The Dark Knight Rises Batmobile

 Turn individuals weight the UK stopwatch the modernistic Dark Knight Rises trailer significance theaters,here importance America we’re isolated scrambling around touching swiftly vanishing bootlegs to touch a glimpse of what Christopher Nolan’s proximate movie has domination store. Don’t anguish, it’ll serve importance theaters

 here tomorrow nightfall lock up Harry Potter and, the factualness is that it’s objective a teaser and material considerably doesn’t panoply much anyway.

 The trailer doesn’t unbroken utterly display much of Batman charter alone his car. Luckily, we keep set photos for that. Cease recital if you don’t want to know what Batman will equate ramble around string the adjacent movie.

 When last we homeless the caped knight he’d blown up the Bat - tumbler and was left tooling around town on a Batpod motorcycle. That left many to believe he’d get some sort of jazzy, new, redesigned automobile for the third film, but it seems such speculation is wrong. Superhero Hype captured photos of Batman’s ride arriving for filming in Pittsburgh, and it’s nothing new. It’s our old friend the Bat - Tumbler. Take a look below and click over to SH for more:

 So what’s different?Compare this photo of the old,Batmobile before it was blown up in The Dark Knight:

 Same basic shape and style, but this seems like a little bit sleeker version of that other vehicle. It could be just the lighting, but it also seems like it’s a much more distinctly Batman black color than the old one, which had an almost brown, worn, metal looking going for it. Still, it seems like much the same vehicle, with a few improvements. Much as I was looking forward to seeing Nolan’s team come up with a new vehicle, it’ll be good to have the old girl back.

For Los Angeles, 53 Hours Without The Freeway Spells ' Carmageddon '

  LOS ANGELES—To service anxious Angelenos ride this weekend ' s shutdown of a bite of one of the nation ' s busiest freeways, Kim Rodgers is offering to photograph their pets—at a discount.

 "You've got to stand for unglued to effort to drive anywhere,"says Ms. Rodgers,co - hotelkeeper of Bark Pet Photography,which takes pet portraits at customers ' homes. " Thus if you're stuck,why not own your lash or dogface photographed? " The Santa Monica company is offering 20% lynch on report of the planned closure of Interstate 405. The "4-0-fido" deal extends to all pets.

 For 53 hours prototypal Friday black, the 405 will mean closed for a 10-mile stretch completed the Sepulveda Pass on the western side of Los Angeles inasmuch as the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, answerability partially demolish a bridge to set up a up-to-date alley for grand - occupation vehicles.The project won ' t appear as unreduced until 2013.

 The closure of a leading artery in duration notorious for daily gridlock is expected to produce a traffic jelly of epic proportions.Locals keep dubbed heartfelt " Carmageddon " and " Carpocalypse. "

 Officials trepidation positive will bring Los Angeles to a standstill.The 250,000 vehicles that normally relevance that sector of the 405 daily are expected to overwhelm smaller highways and surface streets.

 The adjoining snarl will effectively cut massacre the San Fernando Valley drag the north from shoreline communities such Santa Monica and Venice.

 " Irrefutable will express an absolute nightmare,"Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoken at a press assembly last point. "Avoid the area, or stay native.Push on visit that weekend."

 Field officials enlisted the maintenance of celebrities to spread the confabulation, tapping " Filthy lucre " star Erik Estrada ( " Ponch " ) to film a public service announcement. "LAPD asked me 2tweet: 405fwy btwn 10 & 101 will embody closed July16-17,"performer Ashton Kutcher told his seven million followers on Twitter." Repercussion xchange I would near a comp pass on that stoplight tickt Existent WAS Chicken."

 Amid the pre - emptive fear, a cluster of Carmageddon capitalists is emerging to combat the shutdown's collision on the local economy.

 Fearful that the traffic will slow racket, host of merchants—from hotels and bars to florists and jewelers—are offering deals to lure spenders from their homes.Those located on shutdown - welcoming thoroughfares, or neighborhoods veil prisoner residents, glom an probability to profit.

 " Unaffected ' s the whole juncture to prompt a tattoo. You burden estimate, ' I got a tattoo the weekend they closed the 405. ' Intrinsic ' ll occasion irrefutable bounteous momentous, " says Howard Teman, hotelkeeper of T - Man Tattoo on Ventura Boulevard, which is expected to clog during the 405 closure.

 Mr. Teman is offering 15 % asphyxiate " portion piercing or tattoo. " He ' s not individual buoyant to haul people who breathing prominence his latitude, but also those stuck network the commonplace traffic make good face his spot. To lure weary drivers out of their cars, Mr. Teman says he ' s thinking of hiring a man dressed direction a deceitful suit to stand on the sidewalk.

 On Wednesday, JetBlue Airways Corp. announced a "Fly Over the 405" deal blot out a $4 one - system fall from Burbank to Drawn out Beach, 40 miles away. For $150, travelers fearing Carmageddon authority fly over the snarl prestige the same luxury helicopters that ferry celebrities like Will Smith and, most recently, England ' s William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, during their Los Angeles visit.

 " We ' re trying to make something good out of this, " says Lance Strumpf, the chief pilot of Briles Wing & Helicopter Inc. in Van Nuys. The company usually charges at least $5, 000 for a minimum two - hour charter flight in an Agusta copter, which features Italian leather seats, sound - proof interiors and subtle lighting.

 The price gets passengers a 15-minute flight ( one-way ) from the Van Nuys Airport,in the San Fernando Valley, over the 405 to the Los Angeles International Airport or the Santa Monica Airport. For no extra cost, passengers " can look at all those people stuck in traffic down below, "Mr. Strumpf says.

 " Brave the 405 closure with a four - course dinner for $40.05, " declares the Wilshire Restaurant on Los Angeles ' west side. In Santa Monica, Harvelle ' s bar is offering $5 for an " Irish Car Bomb "or a"Cadillac Margarita."

 The shutdown has spawned Car - mageddon. com, a website that has become the regional clearinghouse for shutdown events, deals and commentary. It sells T - shirts for $20 that read " My gridlock is bigger than yours. "

 On the upside, Angelenos can thank the closure for lowering the price they pay for diamonds.

 Fifth Generation Readers Fine Jewelers is offering 20% off all merchandise except single diamonds over half a carat.

 Avo Guerboian, whose family owns the Santa Monica shop, says he has offered discounts for Rose Bowl games and holidays, but never for a road closure. To distract potential customers from the nonromantic side of combining a gift of jewelry with the freeway shutdown, Mr. Guerboian says he will encourage clients to " Think of it not like ' Oh, the highway is closed, and I got this necklace. ' But like ' Oh, you ' re getting 20% off, why don ' t you get me the matching earrings? ' "

 Many businesses privately are worried the deals won ' t be enough to pry spenders from home.

 " The idea of the 405 being closed for a critical weekend in the summer is unfortunate timing for us, " says Jeff Klocke, marketing director for Pacific Park, the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier. About 60,000 to 80,000 people visit the pier on a summer weekend day, Mr. Klocke said, most of them from outside Santa Monica.

 The park is offering 53 hours of free rides to anyone with a San Fernando Valley zip code on their driver ' s license. It also ordered special " traffic - cone orange " cotton candy for the weekend—free with a day pass. Hard pressed to find an orange variety, the park got a local novelty food vendor to whip up the shade on short notice, using a banana - flavored base and experimenting with color and heat.

 The cotton - candy color: " Caltrans Orange. "

source:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052702304911104576443642209895216.html

World Cup overkill won’t change fact that many Americans don’t care

Abby Wambach’s dramatic header in the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals exposed the divide between those of you who sooooooo want soccer to succeed in this country and those of us who sooooooo don’t care one way or the other.

Let’s start with ESPN’s role in ramming the Women’s World Cup down our throats and making some of us want to take up a soccer-free, TV-free and, if necessary, oxygen-free existence.

The night of Wambach’s goal against Brazil, ESPN led ‘‘SportsCenter’’ with images of several seminal moments in sports history, including the United States’ ‘‘Miracle on Ice’’ upset victory against the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Really? A hockey game that had huge geopolitical repercussions vs. a soccer game that probably won’t launch a soccer craze in the United States because nothing else has been able to launch one so far?

They’re on a par with one another?

This is why those of us on the fence or in the non-soccer camp feel browbeaten. Almost immediately, ESPN was lecturing us on What This Game Meant. We shouldn’t have been surprised to learn from the Worldwide Leader that It Meant Everything because — and this part always goes unspoken — it’s our moral obligation to love soccer the way the rest of the world does. If we don’t, we’re isolationist goobers.

The overkill was almost enough to make you gag and turn against anything having to do with this team.

The Wambach goal revealed the gap between the pro-soccer camp and the why-should-we-care soccer camp in other ways.

The pro camp saw an incredible goal and another reason to slobber all over U.S. soccer.

The rest of us saw an incredible pass all but ignored in the post-goal coronation of Wambach as all that is right about soccer, women and pretty much all of civilization.

U.S. soccer zealots, aided and abetted by ESPN, always have been in a mad rush to come up with their messiah. First it was Brandi Chastain and her bra in the 1999 Women’s World Cup. Then it was Landon Donovan and his goal to stave off elimination in the 2010 World Cup, which pushed the United States into the round of 16, where we lost to Ghana, a country of 24 million people.

Now it’s Wambach.

They’ve got the wrong person. Or, to put a positive spin on it, they’ve got it only half right.

They forgot the real star

The scoring play was absolutely beautiful. Megan Rapinoe kicked the ball to the only place Wambach’s head could have hit it. The ball looked as if it traveled 40 yards in the air. The long, crossing pass went just over the head of a Brazilian defender and just beyond the hands of the Brazilian goalie. A few inches lower, and there’s no way the ball would have gotten to Wambach. But it wasn’t a few inches lower it was perfect. It was like a full-court heave into a basketball hoop just big enough to accommodate a ball.

And how did Wambach react after she headed the ball into the net? Did she celebrate with her teammates because the game was now tied 2-2 with about a minute left in overtime? Did she seek out Rapinoe, whose surgically placed pass put Wambach in position for a fairly easy header?

She did not. She did what a lot of soccer players do. She sprinted away from her teammates in order to celebrate on her own. She ran toward the stands and slid for the fans and cameras. By then, her teammates had caught up with her. They mobbed her.

The last one to arrive was Rapinoe, who jumped on Wambach.

The reaction all over the country focused on the goal-scorer. We had found the Chosen One! We had identified the new Face of Soccer! She would lead the sport to relevancy in this country!

If soccer people needed a Robin for Wambach’s Batman, Rapinoe was available. Here was someone who threaded a pass to a teammate as well as Peyton Manning ever has. But nothing. Not even a crime-fighter’s cape for her.

Empty seats say a lot

Who wants to get in the way of soccer’s ascension in this country? We’ve been reminded for years that it’s our responsibility as citizens of the world to help grow the sport here. If we’re not on board, we’re jerks.

And yet . . .

I was watching the U.S. team beat France on Wednesday to advance to the finals, and I couldn’t help but notice all the empty seats in the German stadium. Lots and lots of empty seats.

I knew I shouldn’t be noticing that. The message is supposed to be about a sport taking off before our very eyes.

But if women’s soccer is so important, why were there so many empty seats for the U.S.-France game? Europe — that’s supposed to be a hotbed for soccer, correct?

Are Germans or the French made to feel guilty about not supporting the women’s game the way we Americans always are?

They don’t seem to be feeling under siege. As a writer noted in the German magazine Der Spiegel the other day:

‘‘It’s difficult to become a fan of women’s football. Marketing strategists want to thrust a ‘new premium sport’ onto us.’’

Hello, ESPN!

And . . .

‘‘Yes, women, too, can fire in a decent cross [pass]. They can excite people with their play, at least for moments in this highly praised World Cup. But these moments are as easily forgotten as the Olympic luge. One might as well go see a musical.’’

I’d suggest ‘‘Damn Yankees,’’ but it’s about baseball. And that sport is, like, so yesterday.

source:http://www.suntimes.com/sports/6500115-419/world-cup-overkill-wont-change-fact-that-many-americans-dont-care.html

Exploring history: "Christopher Columbus' tells community the story of his journey to the "New World'

When Hank Fincken started playing the character of Christopher Columbus in 1992 -- about 500 years after the explorer is creditied for discovering the "New World" -- he noticed the audience was always shocked to see that Columbus had flaws.
"In 2011, it's a different story," Fincken said of playing the character. "Audiences are now shocked to find he has virtues."
The featured speaker of Christopher Columbus kicked off the 12th annual Ashland Chautauqua festival at Myers Memorial Band Shell.
"I know this is our 12th year of Chautauqua," said Deleasa Randall-Griffiths, "but it really feels like the first one that is truly Ashland's Chautauqua."
The theme for this year's community-funded performing arts event is "Adventures and Explorers," with Columbus, as well as the other famous explorers Teddy Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart and Francisco Pizarro.
"I come to make both you and Spain the center of the universe," Columbus promised the queen and her audience in 1492. An energetic man, he urges her highness to fund his expedition to Asia, where he will find exotic spices and other riches.
"The prize," he explains, "is for he who dares to go further."
The queen grants his wishes and history textbooks claim that just more than half a year later, Columbus and his crew landed on American soil.
The next time we see Columbus it is a year later, 1493, and he has just returned to the country of Spain after his initial voyage to the Americas, which he insists is Japan.
"We go about God's business and, therefore, we cannot fail," he explains to the queen as he argues for another expedition. It is in your country's best interest, he explains, to send more men and money to develop this "enchanted" land to its fullest potential.
His request was granted, and Columbus returns to find his land "La Navidad" in ruins with all 39 men he left there dead.
"My very name, Christopher," he said, "the Christ bearer. I cannot fail."
The third time we meet Columbus in 1496, the man who declared he could not fail is nowhere to be found. In a humble brown robe instead of his previous elaborate outfits, Columbus is barely recognizable from his former selves. Paranoid and skittish, he claims to bring proof of a promised fulfillment. The proof, he insists, is sand, which he declares will be the source of Spain's wealth soon as it contains gold."
He hides from the audience, from his doubters who call him "The Admiral of The Mosquitoes."
"Mock me if you must," he declares to his audience whom he assumes thinks the worst of him, "but doubt me never."
Ashland Chautauqua will travel to 1918 on Thursday as Chuck Chalberg portrays Theodore Roosevelt and will jump to 1936 when Elsa Wolff portrays pilot Amelia Earhart.
Fincken will return to the stage on Saturday evening playing another Spanish explorer, Francisco Pizarro.
All shows are free to the public and will begin at 8 p.m. at Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park.

source:http://www.times-gazette.com/news/article_no_comments/5065863?page=0

Harrison lashes out at Goodell

Heavily fined Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison calls NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “crook’’ and a “devil,’’ among other insults, in a magazine article.

The 2008 Defensive Player of the Year hasn’t been shy about ripping the league after he was docked $100,000 for illegal hits last season. In the August issue of Men’s Journal, his rants against Goodell reach another level of wrath.

“If that man was on fire and I had to [expletive] to put him out, I wouldn’t do it,’’ Harrison told the magazine. “I hate him and will never respect him.’’

His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay slur, “stupid,’’ “puppet’’ and “dictator.’’

If the Steelers had defeated the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, Harrison said, he would have whispered in Goodell’s ear during the trophy ceremony: “Why don’t you quit and do something else, like start your own league in flag football?’’

Harrison also criticizes other NFL executives, Patriots-turned-commentators Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi (“clowns’’), Houston’s Brian Cushing (“juiced out of his mind’’) - and even teammates Rashard Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger for their performances in the Super Bowl loss.

Harrison calls the running back a “fumble machine’’ for his fourth-quarter turnover.

Mendenhall said on Twitter yesterday he didn’t have a problem with what Harrison said “because I know him.’’ But he also included a link to his stats from last season, which show he didn’t have a pattern of fumbling.

Of the quarterback’s two interceptions, Harrison says: “Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does.’’

Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement that he hadn’t seen the article or talked to Harrison.

“We will discuss the situation at the appropriate time, when permitted once the labor situation is resolved,’’ he said.

Harrison also questions whether a black player is punished more for a hard hit on a white player than the opposite.

Harrison also explained how non-guaranteed contracts make players more likely to hit high, because in the short term, a torn knee ligament is more costly than a concussion.

He suggested the real way to prevent head injuries is to shorten the season to 14 games, start offseason workouts later and trim the length of training camp so “we’re not bangin’ heads so much in August; that’s where the brain trauma comes from.’’

source:http://www.boston.com/sports/football/articles/2011/07/14/harrison_lashes_out_at_goodell/

America's Got Talent' dominates TV

NBC had three of last week's four most-watched prime-time programs, all episodes of "America's Got Talent" including its most-watched episode outside of the last two finales, but was edged by CBS in the race to be the most-watched network.
CBS combined the most-watched "Big Brother" season premiere since 2005 with the nine most-watched scripted programs to deny NBC its fourth consecutive weekly ratings victory, averaging 5.85 million viewers for its prime-time programming July 4-10, according to live-plus-same-day figures released Tuesday by The Nielsen Co.
NBC was second, averaging 5.79 million. The two-hour "America's Got Talent" episode last Tuesday was the week's most-watched program, averaging 15.78 million viewers, third largest audience in its six-season history, behind only the last two finales.
An hourlong episode Wednesday was third for the week, averaging 12.85 million viewers, and an hourlong episode Tuesday was fourth for the week, averaging 12.59 million viewers.
ABC's "A Special Edition of "Primetime with Diane Sawyer – Jaycee Dugard: In Her Own Words," was the week's only other program to average more than 9 million viewers, finishing second for the week, averaging 15.07 million viewers.
The average viewership was the most for a summer news magazine since the June 20, 2004 episode of CBS' "60 Minutes" which featured an interview with former President Bill Clinton and averaged 15.8 million viewers.
ABC was third for the week, averaging 5.15 million viewers for its prime-time programming, followed by Fox, which averaged 3.52 million.
NBC was the most-watched network among viewers ages 18-49 for the fourth consecutive week, its longest streak among the group it, ABC and Fox target and advertisers pay more for because they watch less television and are harder to reach since August-September 2008 when its programming included the Beijing Olympics.
Saturday's premiere of Nickelodeon's "A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!" was the week's most-watched cable program, averaging 5.82 million viewers, putting it 22nd among the all prime-time programs.
USA Network was the most-watched cable network in prime time for the sixth consecutive week, averaging 3.13 million viewers.
USA Network's most-watched program was "Royal Pains" which averaged 5.02 million viewers, third among the week's prime-time cable programs behind "A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!" and HBO's "True Blood."
As usual, Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network, averaging 3.1 million viewers for its prime-time programming. Univision topped all the English-language networks among viewers ages 18-34 for the third consecutive week.
Telemundo was second among the Spanish-language networks, averaging 1.03 million viewers, followed by TeleFutura, which averaged 700,000, Azteca America, which averaged 200,000 and Estrella TV, which averaged 190,000.
The week's most-watched Spanish language program was the Wednesday episode of the telenovela "Triunfro del Amor," ("Triumph of Love") which averaged 4.13 million viewers, 57th among all prime-time broadcast and cable programs.
The "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" finished first for the 95th consecutive week and 142nd time in the past 143 weeks among the network nightly newscasts, but by its smallest margin since the week of Aug. 2, averaging 7.8 million viewers. ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer" was second, averaging 7.43 million.
The "CBS Evening News" was third for the 250th consecutive week and fifth with Scott Pelley as anchor, averaging 5.63 million viewers.

source:http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/million-308056-viewers-week.html

Brian Wilson likes Beltran to Giants

PHOENIX -San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson hears his club may be interested in New York Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran.Wilson is all for it.
"He's a pretty awesome hitter," Wilson said after notching the save as the National League beat the American League, 5-1, on Tuesday night at Chase Field. "I have no qualms about it. Come on over. I don't want to be the guy that's traded, though. OK? Let's make sure that doesn't happen."
Beltran, along with Mets teammate Jose Reyes, had accompanied the Giants contingent from San Francisco to Arizona after the teams completed the first half with a series.
Wilson had made similar comments while reading the NL lineup on Fox, introducing Beltran as a player the Giants need to acquire.
"I didn't see that. I didn't hear that, either," Beltran said. "I mean, I know there's been a lot of rumors -- different cities. They always say I might end up in this city, in that city. But right now I'm part of the New York Mets, and we're playing good baseball."
The Mets enter the second half one game over .500. They trail the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies by 11 games and the wild card-leading Braves by 7½ games.
Where will Beltran be in a month?
"Where? I hope so in New York," Beltran replied. "I hope we continue to play good baseball. But, at the same time, if the team starts not playing good baseball, something might happen -- not only with me, but with a few of the other guys, like Francisco (Rodriguez). They have mentioned Jose Reyes. But right now we cannot worry about that. We need to continue to play the game hard and focus on trying to win ballgames."

source: http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/6764371/closer-brian-wilson-likes-talk-new-york-mets-carlos-beltran-joining-san-francisco-giants

Doc perfect, Lee yields run in NL's All-Star win

The last time teammates have followed each other on the mound to start an All-Star Game was in 1998, when the Braves' Tom Glavine came in to relieve Greg Maddux in Colorado.
"It was nice to have Cliff come in right behind you, just kind of neat to have one of your teammates to go right there behind you," Halladay said. "I know Cole [Hamels] wanted to go, too, but you know, it's definitely been a great experience and it's been a lot of fun."

Hamels, Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco were all in uniform representing the Phillies, but did not play. Victorino and Polanco are hurt, and Hamels pitched on Sunday for Philadelphia.
Prior to this start, Halladay has had a checkered history in the All-Star Game, at best. Over 6 2/3 innings before his two perfect frames Tuesday, he had allowed six earned runs on 13 hits. In his previous All-Star start, in 2009, he gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits over two innings. But he put any concerns about another subpar All-Star performance to rest with a nine-pitch first inning. He is the first pitcher to toss two perfect All-Star innings since Roger Clemens in '01. Halladay and Lee combined for three spotless frames, matching Clemens and Freddy Garcia in that game.
"It was nice, there were a lot of positives this week," Halladay said. "Coming there with a couple of other pitchers and you know, playing well as a team, it's fun to come and be able to talk about good stuff and enjoy it and not talk about uncertain futures. I really enjoyed it and coming here with those guys made it great for me and it was a great couple of days."
The run Lee allowed in the fourth, temporarily putting the NL in a 1-0 deficit, was the first mark on Lee's All-Star record. He had previously pitched in '10 and '08, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out four.
"I made a mistake to Gonzalez, threw a first-pitch fastball away for a strike and then tried to throw a cutter away down the middle and he hit a home run," Lee said.
The '08 Midsummer Classic was the one other time Lee and Halladay both pitched on the same All-Star staff, but that time the roles were reversed. Lee, then a part of the Indians' rotation, started the All-Star Game in New York. He went two scoreless innings, striking out three. Halladay, the ace of the Blue Jays, pitched the fourth, allowing one hit.
With the Phillies in first place and owners of the best record in baseball, the significance of the All-Star Game -- the home-field advantage -- took on even more importance. Halladay stuck around after his start to watch the action for that reason, hoping that this year the Phils could take advantage of an All-Star win after losing in the NLCS in 2010.
"I was hoping last time it might maybe mean something, but it didn't work out that way, but yeah, obviously regardless, you want to go out and do your best," Halladay said. "These are the best players and you want to go out and do your job, so there's definitely always motivation there, so I think it is important, the home-field, it could come into play and you want to be part of trying to help get it for your side."
"Anytime you get a chance to be an All-Star, it's an unbelievable privilege," Lee said. "To represent your league with a couple of your counterparts, it makes it that much more special and it shows that we've been playing well and pitching well. We have five guys representing the Phillies and the NL. I'm unbelievably honored.
"It's a huge advantage for whoever makes it to the World Series. Anytime you have home-field advantage you're going to play more games at home, which is big."

source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110712&content_id=21759942&vkey=allstar2011