Thursday, December 20, 2012

Turmoil in Egypt makes some pine for army’s steady hand

On Friday, the eve of the second stage of voting in the two-part referendum that will approve their new fundamentalist-leaning charter, Muslim Brotherhood members plan a massive march after midday prayers in Egypt’s second city, Alexandria – a show of force bound to raise national tensions.

All this leads many in the opposition to think the unthinkable and call for Egypt’s army to step in. And the army, viewed recently with suspicion, has launched a campaign to convince the public it is the people’s friend. Throughout Cairo there are billboards showing a soldier in full kit cradling a baby in his left arm. The line underneath reads: “The Army, The People: One Hand”

“I think the army would be better than these guys,” said Walid Hamada, 33, a small-business owner who was out protesting at the presidential palace this week against the Islamist nature of the proposed constitution. “The army could do a better job keeping things stable while we move to real democracy and a more balanced constitution.”

Hard as it is to imagine, “a lot of people feel this way,” said Emad Gad, a political analyst at the Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.

Hard to imagine, indeed, because it was the same army that was the power behind Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule, and the army that held power in the 17 months after Mr. Mubarak’s ouster early last year. At that time, there were frequent protests against the military rule.

“They don’t really like the army,” Mr. Gad explained, “but they prefer it to what’s happening now.”

“Even leftists feel this way,” said Mr. Gad, who was a candidate for the Social Democrats in the parliamentary elections early this year.

Former foreign minister and Arab League head Amr Mousa expressed discomfort at the prospect of the army returning to political power. “I have heard this talk,” said Mr. Mousa, a leader of the principal opposition group, the National Salvation Front. “But I hope we will achieve our goals by democratic means.”

Throughout the recent protests and deadly clashes between opponents and supporters of Mr. Morsi, Egypt’s military has remained remarkably neutral.

Even its armoured vehicles positioned around the presidential palace make an effort to appear benign. The tanks’ barrels are pointed to the side, not toward the protesters in the street, and there are no machine guns set up in the turrets of the armoured personnel carriers.

So far, the military command has gone to great lengths to assure everyone it is not taking sides.

Last week, Mr. Morsi ordered the military to prevent attacks on his palace and on Muslim Brotherhood offices around the country. He even accorded it powers to arrest civilians, something he had denounced when in opposition. The chief of the military, General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, responded by inviting opposition leaders to his office for a lunch aimed at reducing tensions.

By seeking the army’s help, Mr. Morsi had thought he could “send a message to the opposition that the military is on his side and that no force will be able to depose him,” said Hafez abu Seada, chairman of the Egyptian Organization of Human Rights.

But Gen. al-Sissi outmanoeuvred him. And a good thing, too, Mr. Abu Seada said. “We do not want the army to be dragged into politics.”

An apparently angry Mr. Morsi ordered his military chief to call off the meeting with the opposition. The General did so, but his position has not changed.

On Tuesday, Gen. al-Sissi again publicly warned that the nation was becoming polarized. “The divisions are affecting the economy and threaten social peace, requiring of us solidarity, renouncing differences and putting public interests first,” he was quoted as saying – an unusual position for a military commander to take.

But Egypt’s military is unusual. In theory, it reports to the president, but in practice, it is a law unto itself. As such, it may be the only institution to which the opposition can turn for help.

Retired General Hossam Sweilem, a former tank and regional commander, said the army pledged after the Six-Day War in 1967 it would not get involved in politics. Before, he explained, the army had been a political tool of then-president Gamal abdel Nasser. “But it isn’t aloof from the people,” he added. “There is great empathy for the people’s concerns,” he said.

He cautioned that the army would intervene only under certain circumstances. “If the army intervened,” Gen. Sweilem said, “it would be to end severe bloodshed” and would insist first that martial law be declared – meaning the army would be in control, not answering to the president.

The military command would not want to be seen as siding with the President, explained Gen. Sweilem. And, before turning power back to him, “I believe it would insist that the President reconsider all those articles of the constitution that provoked the opposition” in the first place.

Mr. Gad agrees that such a scenario could happen. But why would Gen. al-Sissi, a devout Muslim who was appointed military chief by President Morsi, do such a thing?

Because, Mr. Gad said, “at the end of the day, al-Sissi is an Egyptian first and a Muslim second. He does not want to change this country’s fundamental identity” by siding with the Islamists.

First major storm of winter pelts U.S. Midwest

The first major winter storm of the year hit the U.S. Midwest on Thursday, bringing a blizzard to the Plains and tornadoes to Alabama and Arkansas, and leaving some 133,000 customers without electricity.

Bad driving conditions led to a 25-car pileup on a highway near Clarion, Iowa, that left three people dead, authorities said. Blizzard warnings were in effect in eastern Iowa and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

"It's going to be very windy with considerable blowing and drifting of snow," said Bruce Terry, a senior National Weather Service forecaster at the HydroMeteorological Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. He called the pre-Christmas storm "a major winter snowstorm" for the Midwest and western Great Lakes.

Accumulations of up to a foot of snow were expected in some areas, Terry said, adding there was a potential for severe weather on the so-called "warm side" of the storm in the U.S. Southeast.

Blowing snow led to school closures in parts of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, plus the closure of all state government offices in Iowa.

"Thunder" snow was reported in Iowa Wednesday night, especially in southeastern Iowa, as thunder and lightning accompanied the storm as it surged across the state.

Travel was not advised on Iowa roads for the rest of the day, according to Annette Dunn with the Iowa Department of Transportation.

"We're going to have visibility and drifting problems through midnight," she said.

Late Thursday morning, troopers responded to a 25-car crash which killed three people on southbound Interstate 35 in northern Iowa. Iowa DOT closed I-35 at Highway 30 due to deteriorating conditions.

The Iowa National Guard has deployed about 80 soldiers from across the state to help highway assistance teams cope with the storm.

In Nebraska, portions of I-80 were closed Thursday due to snow-packed and icy road conditions. The entire road was expected to reopen before 4 p.m. local time.

In Chicago, rain was expected to change to snow Thursday night, with wind gusts of as much as 50 miles per hour, the NWS said.

Due to low visibility, airlines at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were reporting delays of up to 90 minutes and have canceled more than 200 flights. At Midway Airport in Chicago, airlines canceled 150 flights and Southwest Airlines canceled all flights after 4:30 p.m.

A twister near downtown Mobile, Alabama, damaged buildings, snapped trees, downed power lines and flipped vehicles early on Thursday, but there were no reports of injuries, authorities said.

"The potential is there certainly for some isolated tornadoes," Terry said, referring to a broad swath of Gulf of Mexico coast and inland territory stretching from southeast Louisiana through the western Florida Panhandle.

The National Weather Service confirmed on Thursday that a tornado destroyed a mobile home southwest of Sheridan, Arkansas. There were no reports of injuries.

High winds of around 45 miles per hour in Tennessee knocked down trees and power lines.

While the heavy snow in the Upper Midwest will create potentially dangerous travel conditions, meteorologist Jeff Masters said it put an end to this year's "record-length snowless streaks in a number of U.S. cities."

Writing on his website weatherunderground.com, Masters said the storm would also provide "welcome moisture for drought-parched areas of the Midwest."

The winter storm, named Draco by the Weather Channel, began Tuesday in the Rocky Mountains and marked a dramatic change from the mild December so far in most of the nation.

High winds kicked up a dust storm in West Texas on Wednesday, leading to at least one death in a traffic accident near Lubbock.

Power companies reported electrical outages in Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, with a peak of 400,000 customers without power Thursday morning. That fell to 133,000 by Thursday afternoon.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Okla. student allegedly planned shooting same day as Sandy Hook

An Oklahoma high school student is in custody on charges he plotted to bomb and shoot students at the Bartlesville High School auditorium on the same day 26 people were shot and killed at an elementary school in Connecticut.

Police arrested 18-year-old Sammie Eaglebear Chavez at about 4:30 a.m. Friday after learning of the alleged plot Thursday. Chavez was found at a residence in Bartlesville early Friday morning, and had not attended school on Thursday, CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City reported.

"We are extremely pleased that our students were never in harm's way," Superintendent Gary W. Quinn said to KWTV. "I am proud of our administrative personnel who took what started out as an unsubstantiated rumor, and through their diligent work and exhaustive investigation were able to determine there could be a future threat. We appreciate the excellent relationship we have with our local law enforcement and their swift response to the information we provided them. We will always put the safety of the students of the Bartlesville Public School District first and foremost."

An arrest affidavit obtained by KWTV says Chavez tried to convince other students on Wednesday while in the school cafeteria to help him lure students into the auditorium, chain the doors shut and start shooting. The Tulsa World reports that authorities say Chavez threatened to kill students who didn't help.

Chavez planned to detonate bombs at the doors as police arrived, the affidavit said. He also tried to get a map of the school and told a teacher he had recently bought a Colt .45 handgun and had been practicing shooting it over the weekend. In addition, another student said he saw Chavez looking up how to build pipe bombs.

The school district says students were never in danger. A parent told KWTV that they received an email from the school district on Friday about an "incident" on Thursday, but no additional information was given.

Chavez is being held on $1 million bond and has been charged with a felony threatening to kill. If he makes bond, he will not be able to have contact with any Bartlesville schools or possess firearms.

Kelly Clarkson Engaged: "Miss Independent" Set to Be Mrs. Blackstock


Kelly Clarkson, Brandon Blackstock 
Kelly Clarkson is officially no longer "Miss Independent!"
The 30-year-old singer got an early Christmas present from beau Brandon Blackstock—an engagement ring!
Kelly Clarkson talks getting married but taking it slow—that's so three months ago!
The American Idol alum tweeted the news Saturday, exclaiming: "I'M ENGAGED!!!!! I wanted y'all to know!!
Happiest night of my life last night! I am so lucky and am with the greatest man ever :)"
Brandon, a talent manager and also the son of Clarkson's own manager Narvel Blackstock, and Kelly began dating a year ago.
Congrats to the adorable couple!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Dodgers, pitcher Zack Greinke finalize $147 million contract | Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a $147 million, six-year deal with right-hander Zack Greinke, a former Los Angeles Angel who was considered the top pitcher on the free-agent market..

Baseball
Dodgers finalize Greinke deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a $147 million, six-year deal with Zack Greinke on Monday.
Greinke, 29, was considered the top free-agent pitcher on the market and his contract is the richest of all time for a right-handed pitcher. He ended last season with the Los Angeles Angels.
Greinke, who won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award with Kansas City, joins a staff that includes 2011 NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.
"We were definitely hoping for Zack," said NBA legend Magic Johnson, a partner in Guggenheim Baseball Management, which bought the Dodgers for $2.15 billion last spring. "Zack is a proven winner. When you put him together with Clayton, man, we feel really good."
The Dodgers introduced South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, who has a $36 million, six-year deal, at a news conference. Ryu will be the first player to go directly from the Korean league to the North American major leagues.
Ichiro might return to Yankees
Ichiro, 39, and the New York Yankees are making progress toward a one-year contract, according to numerous media reports.
Ex-Mariners outfielder Ichiro was traded to the Yankees in July and batted .322 in 67 games for New York.
White Sox sign Keppinger
Infielder Jeff Keppinger, a 32-year-old who hit a career-high .325 for Tampa Bay last season, signed a $12 million, three-year contract with the Chicago White Sox.
Meanwhile, reliever Jason Grilli, 36, re-signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for two years and $6.75 million.
High-school pitcher Shohei Otani, 18, has decided to stay at home in Japan instead of immediately pursuing a career in the major leagues.
The right-hander's fastball has been clocked at close to 100 mph. He announced plans to compete for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.
NHL
League cancels more games
As the NHL and the players' union struggle to reach a new labor agreement, the lockout continues to eat away at the 2012-13 season.
League officials canceled all games through Dec. 30, bringing the total of regular-season games lost to 527 — 43 percent of the season.
The Jan. 1 Winter Classic, where Detroit and Toronto were to play outdoors in Ann Arbor, Mich., was canceled last month, as was All-Star Weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
The league and union have held informal discussions about resuming negotiations this week.
Commissioner Gary Bettman is believed to be about a month away from a "drop-dead" date for canceling the season, according to The New York Times.
During the 2004-05 lockout, Bettman canceled the season Feb. 16, but it is believed he would not wait as long in this, his third lockout.
"When it gets to the point where we can't play a season with integrity, with a representative schedule, then we'll be done," Bettman said Thursday, adding he "can't imagine" each team playing fewer than 48 games.
That is how long the season was after Bettman's first lockout, in 1994-95. That season, he set a cancellation date of Jan. 10, but an agreement was announced Jan. 11. That settlement was not finalized, and details were still being worked out after play had resumed.
NHL officials are believed not to want to resume play this time until all details are codified and an agreement signed.
College basketball
Zags drop to 14th in polls
Gonzaga (9-1) dropped from 10th to 14th in the Associated Press media and USA Today/ESPN coaches polls released Monday.
The Zags, listed as 12-point favorites, lost at home 85-74 to then-No. 13 Illinois on Saturday. The Illini are 10th in both polls this week.
The top four men's teams in both polls, in order, are No. 1 Indiana, Duke, Michigan and Syracuse.
Stanford, which had time off for exams, continues to lead the AP women's poll and Connecticut remains second.
Elsewhere
• The PGA Tour's event in Mexico will anchor a six-tournament schedule next fall. For the first time since 1970, the schedule will not include a stop at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
The Tour next year goes to a wraparound season and will offer FedEx Cup points for the six tournaments that will kick off the 2013-14 season. That season will start with the Open in San Martin, Calif., from Oct. 10 to 13 and conclude with the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico from Nov. 14 to 17.
After about a two-month break, the 2013-14 Tour schedule will resume in Hawaii with the Tournament of Champions.
Disney tournament officials lost their title sponsor when the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals did not renew.
• Shoe and apparel giant Nike Inc. plans to expand its operations in Oregon and hire hundreds of workers but wants the state government to promise tax rules won't change, prompting a special session of the Legislature.
Gov. John Kitzhaber said he will call lawmakers together Friday in Salem to create a new law authorizing him to grant Nike's wish, and legislative leaders indicated they will go along with the plan.
Arturo Gatti, a world champion in two weight classes, will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum in Canastota, N.Y., on June 9.
Gatti retired in 2007 with a record of 40-9 and was selected in his first year of eligibility. Gatti died in July 2009 in Brazil at age 37 under mysterious circumstances.
Other boxers selected were Virgil Hill and South Korean Myung-Woo Yuh from modern times; Wesley Ramey and Jeff Smith in the old-timer (posthumous) category and Ireland native Joe Coburn in the pioneer category.
Other inductees: referee Mills Lane, ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., manager Arturo "Cuyo" Hernandez of Mexico, cartoonist Ted Carroll and British journalist Colin Hart.

Linsanity: Jeremy Lin finally breaks out for Houston Rockets

2:08AM EST December 11. 2012 - Jeremy Lin always has been a late bloomer: lightly recruited, undrafted, two years on the bench and in the NBA Development League.
It took a quarter of a season, but Linsanity has reached Texas. The Houston Rockets point guard had a season-high 38 points Monday night in a 134-126 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Rockets were without their leading scorer, shooting guard James Harden, and Lin filled the void as he proved so capable of last season with the New York Knicks. His previous season-high points total was 21, on Nov. 2.
Lin had been mired in a funk lately, scoring 15 total points in his previous three games while losing minutes to backup Toney Douglas. But the expensive free agent busted out without Harden around.
Lin started out slowly, scoring two points in the first quarter, but then took over in the second and third, scoring 24 of Houston's 66 points in the high-scoring stanzas.
He finished 11-for-21 from the field, 4-for-5 from three and 12-for-12 from the line and added seven assists, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals for good measure.
Characteristically, Lin brushed aside his individual contributions.
"I'm thankful that I was able to get comfortable out there, but that's definitely secondary to the fact that we blew another close game," he said.
It was the breakout performance the Rockets needed from Lin, whom they invested $25.1 million in over the next three years. Lin burst onto the scene last February when the injury-plagued Knicks shuffled him into a starting and starring role, but his career before his two-month hot streak was full of D-League and DNPs.
Lin's game was not perfect. Near the end of regulation, with the score tied, he was ticking down the clock to set up a last shot when Danny Green poked the ball away from him.
"I had the ball to win it and didn't even get a shot up," Lin said. "That one hurt."
But that hurt can be overcome if this is a sign of things to come. Lin and Harden, who sat with a sprained ankle, have not always been on the same page this season. Lin is at his best as an aggressive playmaker, but Harden is the star of the team and demands the ball.
If Harden misses a few games, Lin could find his rhythm. Harden can adjust to an aggressive point guard; he played with Russell Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Rockets coach Kevin McHale said before the game he wanted Lin more involved, with or without Harden.
"We have to find a way to get Jeremy playing with the ball more even playing with James," McHale told the Houston Chronicle. "We've got to make sure he's able to do some things and have some strong side, weak side action where he is involved, anyway."
He was involved Monday. And the result was spectacular. Linsane, even.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

With Carbon Dioxide Emissions at Record High, Worries on How to Slow Warming

Global emissions of carbon dioxide were at a record high in 2011 and are likely to take a similar jump in 2012, scientists reported Sunday — the latest indication that efforts to limit such emissions are failing.

Emissions continue to grow so rapidly that an international goal of limiting the ultimate warming of the planet to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, established three years ago, is on the verge of becoming unattainable, said researchers affiliated with the Global Carbon Project.

Josep G. Canadell, a scientist in Australia who leads that tracking program, said Sunday in a statement that salvaging the goal, if it can be done at all, “requires an immediate, large and sustained global mitigation effort.”

Yet nations around the world, despite a formal treaty pledging to limit warming — and 20 years of negotiations aimed at putting it into effect — have shown little appetite for the kinds of controls required to accomplish those stated aims.

Delegates from nearly 200 nations are meeting in Doha, Qatar, for the latest round of talks under the treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Their agenda is modest this year, with no new emissions targets and little progress expected on a protocol that is supposed to be concluded in 2015 and take effect in 2020.

Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the climate convention, said the global negotiations were necessary, but were not sufficient.

“We won’t get an international agreement until enough domestic legislation and action are in place to begin to have an effect,” she said in an interview. “Governments have to find ways in which action on the ground can be accelerated and taken to a higher level, because that is absolutely needed.”

The new figures show that emissions are falling, slowly, in some of the most advanced countries, including the United States. That apparently reflects a combination of economic weakness, the transfer of some manufacturing to developing countries and conscious efforts to limit emissions, like the renewable power targets that many American states have set. The boom in the natural gas supply from hydraulic fracturing is also a factor, since natural gas is supplanting coal at many power stations, leading to lower emissions.

But the decline of emissions in the developed countries is more than matched by continued growth in developing countries like China and India, the new figures show. Coal, the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, is growing fastest, with coal-related emissions leaping more than 5 percent in 2011, compared with the previous year.

“If we’re going to run the world on coal, we’re in deep trouble,” said Gregg H. Marland, a scientist at Appalachian State University who has tracked emissions for decades.

Over all, global emissions jumped 3 percent in 2011 and are expected to jump 2.6 percent in 2012, researchers reported in two papers released by scientific journals on Sunday. It has become routine to set new emissions records each year, although the global economic crisis led to a brief decline in 2009.

The level of carbon dioxide, the most important heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, has increased about 41 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and scientists fear it could double or triple before emissions are brought under control. The temperature of the planet has already increased about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850.

Further increases in carbon dioxide are likely to have a profound effect on climate, scientists say, leading to higher seas and greater coastal flooding, more intense weather disasters like droughts and heat waves, and an extreme acidification of the ocean. Many experts believe the effects are already being seen, but they are projected to worsen.

Asian shares crawl higher after firm China PMI

(Reuters) - Asian shares edged higher on Monday as further signs of a stabilizing Chinese economy boosted sentiment, but stagnant U.S. budget talks which threaten to derail the world's largest economy kept investors cautious and capped prices.

Investors will be eyeing more Asian data on Monday, manufacturing surveys from China, Korea and India, for further signs of economic recovery.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS nudged up 0.2 percent to a fresh nine-month high, after closing at its highest since February 29 on Friday and ending November with a monthly gain of 2.1 percent.

Australian shares .AXJO rose 0.4 percent to a four-week high, led by miners after favorable Chinese manufacturing data at the weekend and expectations for a local rate cut this week to boost the economy.

South Korean shares .KS11 opened up 0.2 percent. On Saturday, data showed the country's exports posted their first back-to-back growth of the year.

Adding to hopes Asia's fourth-largest economy may be gradually improving, a private survey showed on Monday South Korea's manufacturing sector in November shrank for the sixth consecutive month but at a slower pace than in October.

"The KOSPI is expected to kick off the session in the positive territory because of data from here and China. But for the day, the index will be lackluster because of political wrangles over the fiscal cliff," Kim Hak-kyun, an analyst at KDB Daewoo Securities, said of Seoul shares.

Kim said an announcement by North Korea that it would carry out its second rocket launch of 2012 would have little impact on the stock market, as the geographical risk was nothing new to investors.

Japan's Nikkei stock average .N225 opened 0.4 percent higher, after closing Friday at a seven-month high and ending November up 5.8 percent for its best performance since February. .T

China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to a 7-month high of 50.6 in November, following up on a preliminary private sector survey which revealed factory activity reviving to a 13-month high.

The results preceded the release later on Monday of a survey of the non-manufacturing sector, as well as HSBC's final PMI reading for last month.

"We believe that China's near-term outlook remains positive as the political uncertainties have dissipated after a smooth leadership transition," ANZ said in a research note.

A series of central banks including the Reserve Bank of Australia, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, will hold their policy meetings this week. The monthly U.S. nonfarm payrolls data is due out on Friday.

ANXIETY GAUGE MIXED

Major stock market indexes closed little changed and Treasury yields slipped on safe-haven demand on Friday as the stalemate in U.S. budget talks fuelled concerns about slowing global economic growth.

European stocks, while ending slightly down on Friday, posted solid monthly gains, partly thanks to growing views that the worst of Europe's debt crisis is over.

The Euro STOXX 50 Volatility Index .V2TX, or VSTOXX, Europe's widely-used measure of investor risk aversion, fell to 16.26, a level not seen since mid-2007 on Friday.

Data from EPFR Global showed on Friday that investors pumped the most into U.S. stock funds in over a year, even as U.S. lawmakers sparred over the looming "fiscal cliff" of combined tax hikes and spending cuts, while worldwide, stock funds took in $14.86 billion in the week ended November 28, the second-largest total since 2008.

But the CBOE Volatility Index .VIX, which measures expected volatility in the Standard & Poor's 500 index .SPX, jumped 5.4 percent on Friday for its largest daily gain in two weeks, reflecting market anxiety over the ongoing budget talks and their impact on the U.S. economy.

The euro was up 0.1 percent at $1.2996, but retreating from Friday's high of $1.3029, its highest in nearly six weeks, pressured after Moody's downgraded the credit ratings on the European Stability Mechanism and the European Financial Stability Fund last week.

The dollar was up 0.1 percent at 82.43 yen, hovering near a 7-1/2-month high of 82.84 yen touched on November 22.

According to data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission released on Friday, currency speculators in the latest week boosted short yen positions to the highest since the beginning of May, 2007, riding on speculation that a likely change in Japan's government would lead to more aggressive monetary easing.

Oil steadied, with U.S. crude futures up 0.1 percent to $89.03 a barrel.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Microsoft: 40 million Windows 8 licenses

8:49PM EST November 27. 2012 - SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft has stepped up to prove naysayers wrong on early Windows 8 adoption.

Tami Reller, the software giant's new co-chief of the Windows division, told a Credit Suisse investor conference in Arizona on Tuesday that Window 8 upgrades are outpacing Windows 7 in its first month.

"The journey is just beginning, but I am pleased to announce today that we have sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses so far," she said in a presentation.

Microsoft's long-term outlook as operating system leader has come into question as PC sales slacken amid a consumer frenzy over tablets and smartphones from the likes of Apple, Samsung, Google and Amazon.com.

Windows 8 became available Oct. 26, but doubts about its extreme makeover raised uncertainty about its commercial appeal to big businesses. The Window 8 debut has required a major overhaul of both the software and company in a bid for mobile relevance.

This month, Microsoft reorganized its Windows unit that resulted in the departure of long-time veteran and Windows chief Steven Sinofsky.

Microsoft executives Reller and Julies Larson-Green were tapped to lead the division.

Golf might ban belly putters

Tiger Woods
How much stomach does it take to play professional golf?

That was the overriding question Tuesday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, where Tiger Woods and other PGA Tour pros were preparing for this weekend's World Challenge, which benefits Woods' charities.

The topic is the growing popularity of belly putters, where players use long putters with grips that rest against their stomachs.

The practice has been around for years, but it has now received substantial attention because three of golf's last five major tournaments were won by players using belly putters: Keegan Bradley at the 2011 PGA Championship, Webb Simpson at the 2012 U.S. Open and Ernie Els at this year's British Open.

Their success has prompted many young golfers to use belly putters as well, and that trend is thought to be one reason why the club might be banned as early as Wednesday by the U.S. Golf Assn. and its overseas counterpart, the Royal & Ancient.

Golf's two governing bodies have scheduled a joint news conference Wednesday morning that's expected to address the issue, and any ban is expected to be implemented in two to four years so players using belly putters can adapt to shorter putters.

At his news conference Tuesday, Woods reiterated that he's opposed to belly putters or any type of so-called "anchoring" of putters against the body.

Asked if his opposition might help lead to a ban, Woods replied, "I don't know if it carried any weight or not, but I just believe that the art of putting is swinging the club and controlling nerves."

Having one end of the putter at a fixed point, Woods said, "is something that's not in the traditions of the game. We swing all other 13 clubs, I think the putter should be the same. One of the things that I was concerned about going forward is the kids who get started in the game and [are] starting to putt with an anchoring system.".

Woods also argued against having separate sets of rules for pros and amateurs. "It's nice for amateurs to understand that they're playing by the same guidelines we are," he said.

Simpson and Bradley are playing in the World Challenge's 18-player field, and they said Tuesday that although they're not happy about a possible ban of belly putters, they don't plan to take legal action or otherwise contest it.

"I never said the word 'sue,' I never said the word 'legal action,' " Bradley said. "Somehow it got twisted around into that."

The governing boards "are doing what they think is best for the game and I respect that," Bradley said. "That doesn't mean I'm happy with the decision."

Simpson said he has already been practicing with a conventional short putter because "I expected this day to come, and so I just wanted to be ready."

Meanwhile, this will be the 14th World Challenge, which Woods has won five times, including last year. That helped propel him to a solid 2012 that included three PGA Tour victories.

But Woods — currently third in the world golf rankings, behind Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald — failed to win a major tournament this year. His last major win was the U.S. Open in 2008. So Woods still needs to win four more majors to tie Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

Woods, who turns 37 on Dec. 30, has noted that Nicklaus won his final major, the 1986 Masters, at age 46. And when Nicklaus was Woods' current age, Nicklaus likewise had won 14 major tournaments.

Woods cited his pursuit of Nicklaus' record as one reason why he won't also play on the European Tour next year.

"I enjoy playing around the world and I still always will," Woods said, but he added that winning a major "feels incredible. It lasts with you and that's something that I would like to have happen again."

NaVorro Bowman wanted to keep playing alongside Patrick Willis

NaVorro Bowman couldn’t help himself. His five-year contract extension with the 49ers was not officially done Tuesday morning, but Bowman still felt compelled to share the impending news with fellow linebacker Patrick Willis.
“He was excited,” Bowman said. “I wasn’t supposed to tell him, but I couldn’t keep it from him. He has a great deal to do with this, too, just playing beside him and him helping me through this season and last year.”
Bowman’s previous contract runs through next season, and this extension carries him through 2018. It’s potentially worth $45.25 million over the five years, including $25.5 million in guaranteed money, according to the Associated Press.
All four of San Francisco’s starting linebackers – Willis, Bowman, Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith – now are signed through at least 2015.
Bowman, a third-round draft choice from Penn State in 2010, stepped into the starting lineup last season and quickly blossomed. He and Willis both earned first-team, All-Pro honors in helping the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game.
“I know he’s going to continue to play hard and continue to do all the things right to become an even better player,” Willis said. “We’re truly blessed to have him here for a long time and beside each other.”
Bowman’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, initially approached the 49ers last offseason. Rosenhaus said the sides were “pretty far apart” then, but they obviously closed the gap. Bowman will become one of the top-five paid players at his position, according to Rosenhaus.
Asked why he wanted a contract extension now, Bowman said, “This is a very physical game. And whenever you have a chance to get a deal done, and it sounds good and everyone is comfortable with it, why not? It shows the organization trusts me and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Willis also plans to cash in by getting Bowman to take him out to eat “somewhere nice. Super nice.”

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

NBA scores: Lakers beat Nets in Mike D'Antoni's debut, Knicks crush Hornets + By Tom Ziller on Nov 21, 8:03a

Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE
In Mike D'Antoni's L.A. debut, second half defensive effort got the Lakers past the Nets. In other action, the Knicks swamped a New Orleans team without Anthony Davis.
Lakers 95, Nets 90
In the first half of Tuesday's game, the Nets scored at will on the Lakers in Mike D'Antoni's debut. I'm sure we could knock you over with a feather duster. But L.A.'s defense tightening to the second half, holding Brooklyn to 32 percent shooting from the floor and 1-13 half from long-range (after the Nets shot 6-10 on bombs in the first two quarters). Dwight Howard set about denying Brook Lopez good looks after halftime -- the center had 17 points on 13 shooting possessions in the first half and six on six in the second. Howard himself had 23 points and 15 rebounds while going 7-19 from the line.
Knicks 102, Hornets 80
The Hornets were without Anthony Davis, who is day-to-day with a stress reaction. (I write that as if I have any clue what is actually means.) The Hornets stuck with the Knicks in the first half, and even led at a few points. But New York went about crushing New Orleans after halftime, running up a 30-16 third quarter win. Carmelo Anthony had 29 points in 28 minutes, including 19 in the first quarter. Austin Rivers was quite nice with 14 points, four assists and no turnovers.
Sixers 106, Raptors 98
Another crushing defeat for Toronto, who played well enough to win this game for 42 minutes. Unfortunately, the refs did not call the contest with six minutes left. Toronto led 92-86 midway through the fourth, and Philadelphia proceeded to go on an 18-4 run over four minutes to claim victory. Nick Young, Thad Young and a timely dagger from Jason Richardson did the trick. The Raps are 3-8.

Plaxico Burress returns to Steelers

Plaxico Burress visited the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday for a workout. After head coach Mike Tomlin saw his conditioning, Burress was immediately signed. Burress spent the first five years of his career with the Steelers.
Last season, Burress played for the New York Jets. According to ESPN, even though Burress missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons, he was highly successful for the Jets. He had 45 receptions and eight touchdowns.
Burress is a highly versatile wide receiver. He’s able to utilize his 6-foot-5 height to his advantage and jump over cornerbacks for receptions.
During an after workout interview, the AP reported that Tomlin said about Burress, "He’s in really good physical condition based on the workout I just saw....He’s got very good body control for a big man. He can drop his weight at break points and obviously he’s no stranger to football."
This is very convenient for the Steelers because they were in need of a good receiver after Jerricho Cotchery fractured his ribs last Sunday. The Steelers have been struggling with injuries all year.

Friday, November 2, 2012

A movie review


A movie like The Man With The Iron Fists, with the tagline of “They put the F.U. in Kung Fu,” can really go either way. While such a tagline promises some cool fight scenes and much bad-assery, do the goods stop there? Also, can RZA from The Wu-Tang Clan direct? Hell yes, RZA can direct! While the film does lag at around the three-quarter mark, not only are its fight scenes awesome and bloody, but they are creatively shot and have great cinematography. This, in combine with a gleefully clever and referential script co-written by RZA and Eli Roth, make for a fun film that fits nicely within the film’s “presentor,” Quentin Tarantino’s, postmodernist pantheon. After all, there’s even a cameo from Pam Grier.
The film tells many stories, with all converging as various parties become involved in the seizure of the governor’s gold in the fictional town of Jungle Village in 19th Century China. Also one of the film’s main actors, RZA is the Blacksmith who forges high-quality weaponry for Jungle City’s various vicious gangs. Because, at the beginning of the film anyway, Blacksmith is able to provide a fairly omniscient narration as he is privy to all of the gang’s violent activities. Blacksmith is in love with the beautiful prostitute, Silk (Jamie Chung), who lives in The Pink Blossom brothel, run by the fiercely independent Madam Blossom (Lucy Liu). They are trying to save up enough money to blow town together, but Blacksmith is sidelined after the leader of the Lion Gang, Golden Lion (Kuan Tai Chen), is killed by his own as he is protecting the governor’s gold. Blacksmith must make weapons for the gangs as this overthrow by Silver Lion (Byron Mann) sets off a gang war as gangs fight to the death for ownership of the prized gold.
Blacksmith eventually joins forces with Gold Lion’s son Zen Yi, “The X-Blade” (Rick Yune), so named because of his suit of knives, and the lusty British emissary Jack Knife (Russell Crowe, in a wonderfully cheeky performance) as they try to avenge Golden Lion’s death and get the gold back to it’s rightful owners. A complication occurs when Blacksmith is captured by Silver Lion’s men and the seemingly indestructible Brass Body (David Bautista), so named because his body turns to brass when pummeled, cuts off Blacksmith’s arms. With Jack Knife’s aid, Blacksmith is resurrected, as he fashions “iron fists” that he controls is his innate “chi,” becoming the film’s eponymous hero.
Many fight scenes occur between the beginning and end of the film, and most are pretty spectacular. Arms are pulled out of the socket, people are cut in half, heads are kicked off bodies, necks are stabbed with shoe knives – the creative kills here are plenty. Borrowing from his mentor Tarantino, RZA combines a lot of different styles when shooting the fight scenes, running the gamut from black and white cinematography (accented by red blood), slo-mo action shots, even shooting a scene in a hall of mirrors. Perhaps the standout fight scene occurs toward the end of the film, as the prostitutes led by Madam Blossom, morph into the Black Widow gang and face off against the Lion Gang. One by one, the prostitutes seduce the gang members and stab them in the neck, subsequently tangling the survivors in web-like cloths and kicking much ass. This scene looks beautiful, also, with its vibrant pink background and shocks of color.
Performance-wise, the real standout here is Russell Crowe as Jack Knife. Hamming it up throughout, Crowe chews the hell out of the scenery as a robust man who bangs four prostitutes at a time, slices men named Crazy Hippo in half with his giant knife, and adds more butter to his dinners than Paula Deen would. Usually playing more slow-burn roles, Crowe really brings it in here in this departure of a role and makes you wish that he was in every scene. While almost playing a nicer version of her role in Kill Bill: Volume One, Lucy Liu also delivers in her sexualized, alpha female performance – she also excels at the fight scenes. RZA is somewhat lacking as an actor – he was probably better riffing off Bill Murray in Coffee and Cigarettes – but he’s just fine in this, really. The other actors act in an exaggerated fashion, as in real Kung Fu films, and that works here also.
The film does start to lose momentum around the three-quarter mark when we learn Blacksmith’s backstory and the action dies down, but picks it up in a big way at the end. Blacksmith’s past history as an escaped slave who landed in China grounds the film in history, which is almost at its detriment, since everything else about the film defies time and place. Nevertheless, The Man With The Iron Fists ultimately accomplishes what it set out to do, which was to “put the F.U. in Kung Fu,” to recreate a classic Kung Fu film and imbue it with gangsta swagger and kick ass action scenes. More importantly, as a filmmaker, RZA proves that he “ain’t nuthing ta fuck wit,” as he goes above and beyond expectations with his stylistic choices.

Amanda Bynes at it again? Denies reports she was butt naked in public

Amanda Bynes at it again? Denies reports she was butt naked in public

Is Amanda Bynes at it again? Whether deliberate or not, Bynes has managed to keep a semi low profile in recent weeks, staying out of tabloid news stories up until “In Touch” magazine published a report last Thursday claiming the star had been walking around the Beach Bum Tanning salon butt naked. It was the sort of erratic behavior that has typified Bynes’ behavior for most of the year. And it appears to be getting increasingly worse.
Now the self-proclaimed retired millionaire is threatening to sue the tabloid that claimed she was strutting around the NYC salon naked.
“I’ll sue,” Bynes told the website Celebuzz via text message Wednesday. “I’m suing ‘In Touch’ for printing a fake story,” the furious star told Us Weekly Thursday. “I’m not ‘troubled.’ I don’t get naked in public. I’m 26, a multi-millionaire, retired. Please respect my privacy.”
The recent “In Touch” Weekly story cited an unnamed eyewitness who said the former Nickelodeon star seemed “totally out of it” as she reportedly walked around the main lobby before returning to a private spray-tan room.
A witness told the magazine, Bynes looked “painfully thin” and that “she seemed totally out of it.”
“[She] didn’t seem to care that everyone saw her naked,” the witness shared. (A store employee countered that Bynes comes in frequently but “is always polite” and “usually just in and out.”)
Bynes wasn’t pleased with the publication’s report and insists the story is completely false.
It’s been reported by “Us” that an unnamed employee of the salon contradicted “In Touch’s” account, saying Bynes frequently patronizes the tanning solon and has always been polite.
In defense of the ongoing controversy, USA TODAY reports “In Touch” spokesperson Lindsay Ferraro saying, “We stand by our reporting.”
But “Employee testimony and security footage have confirmed that Ms. Bynes was not acting inappropriately,” Beach Bum Tanning chief executive officer James Oliver told Celebuzz. “She is a long-time client and we stand by her account.”
After covering Bynes over the last six months, it can be said that Amanda sticks by her stated positions. When she said she would plead not guilty to all charges with regards to her car troubles in Los Angeles, we can confirm that she has done as much. So we have no reason not to believe the retired actress in her threats to sue “In Touch.”
The former Nickelodeon star’s lawyer did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
With driving violations, court dates and countless headlines, it’s fair to say Bynes has had a rough year. Nevertheless the actress insists she’s doing just fine.
“I am doing amazing,” Bynes told People magazine in September. “I am retired as an actor. I am moving to New York to launch my career. I am going to do a fashion line.”
The star of “Easy A” was charged with a DUI in June and two counts of hit-and-run in September. But she insists she doesn’t drink. “I am not talking about being arrested for DUI because I don’t drink, and I don’t drink and drive. It is all false,” she told People.
From March 8, 2012, to today, Amanda’s life has been riddled with some fairly erratic behavior.
TMZ first reported: “Amanda Bynes made a HUGE mistake during a traffic stop in L.A. [as]… she blew off the cop while he was writing the ticket and drove away from the scene.”
The website conveyed that Bynes was originally pulled over for talking on a cell phone while driving. The officer approached the car and collected all of Amanda’s information so he could write up the citation.
But Amanda didn’t feel like waiting around … and hit the gas before the cop could hand over the ticket for the actress to sign.
We’re told the cop decided NOT to pursue Bynes because he didn’t feel she was dangerous … and besides, he already had all of her information.
Later that day, Bynes rolled by the police station and signed the ticket. TMZ said that they were told that Amanda was not off the hook for leaving the scene early.
At the time, authorities looked into the situation and will decided Bynes would not be subject to further charges for her untimely exit.
For all practical purposes this incident stands out as the one event that lunched steady flow of regular encounters with LAPD.
The 26-year-old actress was next arrested around 3 a.m. on April 6 in West Hollywood. Authorities said her black BMW struck the rear corner of the sheriff’s vehicle.
Following the incident, Bynes stubbornly refused to take a Breathalyzer or blood-alcohol test, which is how she ended up having her license suspended, according to law enforcement.
Four days later, Bynes allegedly rear-ended a BMW and fleeing the scene, according to TMZ. It took some time before this case caught up with Amanda because there were not any witnesses.
In august, Amanda had a series of accidents, and in Sept. she was pulled over two or three more times by law enforcement.
After being pulled over for the last time in Sept. an officer decided to have the “Hair Spray” star’s car impounded for driving on a suspended license.
On Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, Amanda Bynes faced a very concerned judge, the honorable Elden Fox. Judge Fox officially charged Bynes with two counts of knowingly driving with a suspended license according to MTV.com. Fox’s actions came when he learned she had been pulled over by Burbank, California police officers near the Bob Hope Airport last Sunday morning for not having her paperwork in order, and then, shockingly, she was pulled over just an hour and a half later in the same area, obviously still without a license.
If convicted on both charges, Bynes could spend up to a year in jail.
Considering there’s also a DUI and two hit-and-run charges pending against her too, the ultimate sentence could be worse. And on top of it all, the actress is telling friends and family members she hasn’t done anything wrong, why then would she consider a public acknowledgement of wrongdoing in front of the court.
With all that is facing the beleaguered star it’s comforting to know that, despite it she’s still a multimillionaire.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Florida State drubs Duke, regains control in ACC Atlantic

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State's good day was made even better by what took place about 600 miles north of Tallahassee.air max pas cher
Behind 104 yards and two touchdowns from running back Devonta Freeman, the No. 12 Seminoles cruised to a 48-7 victory over the Duke Blue Devils at Doak Cambell Stadium. And by virtue of North Carolina's 43-35 win over North Carolina State, FSU reclaimed control of its destiny in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division. "I think they're the best team in the country. I do," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "I don't see where the weakness is." UNC's Giovanni Bernard returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in the final seconds to hand N.C. State its second conference loss, and if Florida State can win its final two league games -- at Virginia Tech and at Maryland -- the Seminoles will play in Charlotte on Dec. 1 for their first ACC title since 2005. "That was always our perspective at the beginning of the season, but after that devastating loss (to N.C. State), it was kind of a toss-up," FSU safety Lamarcus Joyner said. "But now we're put back on that pedestal so we have to take advantage of it." Duke brought perhaps its most talented team to ever play at Doak Campbell Stadium and one of the ACC's top passing combos in quarterback Sean Renfree and receiver Conner Vernon. But the latest edition of this series looked just like the first 17 meetings -- domination by FSU on both sides of the ball and a lopsided final score. The Seminoles piled up 560 yards of offense and quarterback EJ Manuel threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns, despite going just 8-for-16, to help FSU achieve its first 8-1 start since 2003. Duke, meanwhile, struggled in nearly every phase. The Blue Devils mustered only 232 yards of offense, were penalized 10 times for 95 yards and surrendered a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown to FSU's Tyler Hunter while the game was still close. "Those of you who hadn't seen us, that's not who we are," Cutcliffe said. "We're a good football team. We were not today." FSU was hardly perfect, though. After building up a 31-7 lead at halftime, the Seminoles got careless with the ball, fumbling it away three times on three consecutive third-quarter possessions. Florida State lost four fumbles over the course of the game and, after struggling with ball security in last week's win over Miami, has fumbled it away six times in two weeks. "That's a total lack of focus and putting the balls on the ground were just completely -- that's us," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "That's my fault as a coach and we're going to get it fixed." The Seminoles' defense, though, made sure those miscues didn't matter much. Renfree passed for a season-low 92 yards before leaving the game with a head injury late in the second quarter. Backup Anthony Boone fared even worse, connecting on just three of his 15 attempts. Vernon, meanwhile, will have to wait at least another week to break former FSU star Peter Warrick's ACC record for career receiving yards. The senior from Miami came into the game needing 94 yards to reach the milestone but was held to just 12 yards on three catches, both season lows. "We try to take out players that are threats," Joyner said. "If you are a threat and get our attention, we need to take care of that. Being able to double him and put pressure on his side, that was the game plan and it went through." NOTES: Dustin Hopkins' 56-yard field goal in the fourth quarter gave him 80 for his career, tying him with former Maryland kicker Nick Novak for the most field goals in ACC history ... Senior linebacker Christian Jones recorded eight tackles in the first quarter and finished with a team-high 11 ... FSU scored at least 31 points in a first half for the fourth time this season ... James Wilder Jr.'s 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter gave him 10 scores for the season, making him the first Seminole to reach that mark since 2009.

No pressure for Chase leader Keselowski



MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Brad Keselowski talks as though racing is simply business as usual.
The 28-year-old leads NASCAR’S Chase for the Sprint Cup. While his margin on five-time champion Jimmie Johnson is just seven points and perennial contender Denny Hamlin is only 20 points back, Keselowski dismisses talk that being chased means pressure.
“I feel good about our situation,” he said. “I love the way we performed over the last few weekends — really over the Chase. You want to win every race and obviously that hasn’t happened, but that’s not realistic, either. But we’ve been fortunate to win two races and be in contention for others. Even when we don’t win, we seem to be able to find a way to not have a disaster out of it.”
That might be harder Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, where Johnson is on the pole, Hamlin will start fifth and the two have combined to win 10 times. Keselowski has never finished better than ninth; he’ll roll off 32nd, back where mayhem can ruin a driver’s day quickly.
Johnson and Hamlin have started back in the field and rallied to good finishes. Johnson started 22nd here in the spring and contended for the victory before fading to 12th.
This time around, he’d love to see Keselowski struggle early because the leader typically reaches the tail end of the field and starts lapping cars before 20 laps have been completed. That makes it critical for a contender starting near the back to drive his way out of trouble quickly.
“You have got to go,” Johnson said. “Everybody around you has that same mentality, too, so it can be pretty cut- throat back there.”
Even if Keselowski rallies into contention, Hamlin figures the air of calm surrounding the season’s final three races will be harder to maintain the longer it lasts.
“You can put that iron-clad armor around you and think that it’s not going to affect you, but it will eventually,” Hamlin said. “It doesn’t matter whether you are going from the divisional game to the championship series; it just continues to build and get harder to block out everything that you hear.”
Hamlin finished third in the Chase in 2006 and was second in 2010. He and Keselowski share the series lead with five victories, and Hamlin thinks No. 6 would put him right in the thick of things.
“If we win, then it is going to be huge momentum,” he said. “If for some reason we can lead the most laps and win the race, that’s half of our deficit that we’ve got that we can knock out in one week. This place will build momentum, or it will take it. You just hope you are on the first side of that.”
Thanks to his history of closing the deal, Johnson would seem to be the favorite.
“When it gets playoff time, things happen,” he said. “I don’t want to put my guard down.”

2012 Nike Lunar Eclipse 2 Eric Koston x "Infrarouge" Air Max 90

Nike Lunar Eclipse 2 a conçu cette version spéciale de la chaussure de signature Eric Koston, la SB Koston 1, qui prend des repères de la classique Nike Air Max 90 "Infrarouge". D'après ce que nous pouvons voir dans la photo d'accroche, chaussure Nuremberg chaussure fait usage de la colorway classique, et arbore un supérieur qui se compose de toile et suède. Rien de plus n'est connu quant au moment où cela va tomber sur des comptes, mais restez à l'écoute pour plus d'informations.
Libérer le long de la Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse «olympique» que nous venons visualisée est cette paire de Nike Air Max 95 + BB. La chaussure comporte un dessin similaire, sportives dynamiques rouges, jaunes, vertes, tons bleus le long de noir, une palette de couleurs qui est évidemment inspiré par les anneaux olympiques. Klose Pour finir la look est l'utilisation du blanc. Comme la Nike Air Max 90 version, Tokyo basés atmosphère va stocker la chaussure sur Avril 28, mais restez à l'écoute pour plus d'informations en tant que à un plus large release.We 'ai vu une variété de chaussures Nike olympiques d'inspiration, y compris la Nike Air Max + 2012 "Jeux Olympiques", et maintenant la classique Nike Air Max 90 est victime de la source d'inspiration aussi bien. Plus précisément, la Nike Air Max 90 chaussures air max Hyperfuse est utilisé, et est évidemment inspiré par les couleurs Anneau olympique. Les éléments Hyperfuse le long de la tige sont recouverts de teintes vives, tandis que le blanc complète le look. Recherchez ces à chuter à Tokyo basés sur atmo Avril 28.
Jeux olympiques d'été à venir a déjà servi d'inspiration pour une pléthore de conceptions de Simmons Nike, et aujourd'hui nous recevons un coup d'oeil à une paire de Nike Air Max + 2012 baptisée "Jeux Olympiques". L'inspiration évidente sont les couleurs anneaux olympiques (rouge, bleu, vert, jaune et noir), qui servent de couleurs accentuant le long d'un blanc cassé base.Finishing regard de la chaussure est une semelle jaune et bleu Nike Air Max 360 seule unité. Tokyo basés atmosphère débutera le stockage de la Nike air max pas cher chaussure sur Avril 28, mais restez à l'écoute pour plus d'informations au sujet d'une plus grande libération.

Monday, October 22, 2012

2012 Nike Lunarglide 3 City Park Hyperfuse



Précédemment, nous avons repéré la Nike Lunarglide 3 City Park Hyperfuse - Stealth / Orange totale, et maintenant nous voyons un autre colorway surfaces. Cette fois-ci, le Hyperfuse construite sport supérieure un coloris kaki fret, alors que le ton populaire volts fonctionne les accents principaux, y compris le swoosh de Nike, doublure intérieure, zone entourant la Quintero Nike chaussures nike pas cher femme unité, et une partie de la semelle extérieure. Cette chaussure est disponible dès maintenant chez les détaillants Nike sélection, y compris l'Unité.
Découvrez cette nouvelle version de la Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse. Cette fois-ci, un coloris camouflage est appliqué à l'ensemble supérieur, ainsi que la semelle. Contrastant le look est une dynamique totale teinte orange, qui fonctionne de la swoosh de Nike, doublure intérieure, zone entourant la Nike Air Max unité, et des parties de la semelle extérieure. Regardez pour cette paire maintenant chez les détaillants Nike nationwide.In sélectionnez maintenant et exclusif de du Royaume-Uni JD Maerjinao Sports est cette paire de Nike Air Max 95. Les sports de canaux classiques d'un daim constructions, et est habillé en plusieurs nuances de gris. Ajout de la profondeur à la conception sont des touches de l'université sur l'un des panneaux, marquage à chaud, et Nike chaussures adidas pas cher unité, tandis que le blanc fonctionne de la semelle, la partie supérieure des lacets supérieurs, et de la chaussure. Comme nous l'avons mentionné précédemment, vous pouvez ramasser une paire maintenant par JD Sports.
Disponible dès maintenant via certains détaillants Nike est Pack "Brights Ripstop» de la Nike Chaussures air max 1. La collection se compose de trois coloris dans le modèle classique Nike Air Max, y compris le vert atomique, bleu dynamique, et de mandarine. Chacune dispose d'une combinaison de nylon ripstop synthétique et le long du haut, tandis que la semelle blanche classique se trouve en dessous. Ce sont certainement été adaptées variantes de couleurs, et peut être trouvé maintenant à certains comptes Sri Virginia Nike Sportswear.

Giants on to World Series With 9-0 Win Over Cards

After all the Giants had overcome to get back to the World Series, a late shower wasn't about to dampen their celebration.
All right, it was a driving downpour.
So reliever Sergio Romo danced through the raindrops, Tim Lincecum helped lead a soaked victory lap around the ballpark and Angel Pagan stayed on the field with his daughter long after his teammates took the party indoors.
Hunter Pence got the Giants going with a weird double, Matt Cain pitched his second clincher of October and San Francisco closed out Game 7 of the NL championship series in a rainstorm, routing the St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 on Monday night.
"The rain never felt so good," series MVP Marco Scutaro said. "We're going to the World Series, this is unbelievable."
San Francisco won its record-tying sixth elimination game of the postseason, completing a lopsided rally from a 3-1 deficit.
The Giants, who won it all in 2010, will host reigning AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, Triple Crown slugger Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 on Wednesday night.
Verlander is set to pitch Wednesday's opener at AT&T Park. Giants manager Bruce Bochy insisted before Monday's game he had not planned any further in advance.
NLCS Cardinals Giants Baseball.JPEG
AP
San Francisco Giants' Hunter Pence hits a... View Full Caption
Scutaro produced his sixth multihit game of the series and matched an LCS record with 14 hits and Pablo Sandoval drove in a run for his fifth straight game.
"These guys never quit," Bochy said. "They just kept believing and they got it done."
After falling behind 3-1 in the series at Busch Stadium, the Giants outscored the wild-card Cardinals 20-1 over the final three games behind stellar starting pitching from Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong and Cain.
They also benefited from some strange bounces.
On Pence's double that highlighted a five-run third, his bat broke at the label on impact, then the broken barrel hit the ball twice more. That put a rolling, slicing spin on the ball and caused it to change directions — leaving shortstop Pete Kozma little chance to make the play. Kozma broke to his right, figuring that's where the ball would go, but it instead curved to left-center.
"It was going to go in the hole and it ended up going up the middle," Kozma said.
Injured closer Brian Wilson, with that out-of-control bushy black beard, danced in the dugout and fans in the sellout crowd of 43,056 kept twirling their orange rally towels even through rain in the late innings — a downright downpour when Romo retired Matt Holliday on a popup to Scutaro to end it.
Romo embraced catcher Buster Posey as fireworks went off over McCovey Cove beyond right field.
"It's just very fitting the way everything has gone for us this season," Romo said of ending in the rain. "The ups and downs, the injuries, the personal issues, whatever. What a ride for us all. It's very, very fitting that it rained right there."
The NL West champion Giants won their first postseason clincher at home since the 2002 NLCS, also against the Cardinals.
These 2012 Giants have a couple of pretty talented castoffs of their own not so different from that winning combination of 2010 "castoffs and misfits" as Bochy referred to his bunch — with Scutaro right there at the top of the list this time around.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

2012 Nike Chaussures Air Max 2012 Humara "Tabac Deep"



Un autre modèle Chaussures Air Max 2012 sera sur les étagères des magasins cet automne. Cette Air Max Humara dispose d'une combinaison de cuir noir et maille toute la toebox, Nike, onglet langue, Doublure, et contrefort. A "Deep" fumée détails en cuir des panneaux latéraux de cette sneaker nike lunar eclipse 2 test donnant la paire de smokey mouvement comme la conception. Une autre belle addition à ces Air Max est la semelle marron / blanc moucheté entourant l'unité Air visible. Recherchez ces pour arriver à votre Nike détaillant local cet automne, ou vous pouvez les flic rapide par Titolo. Cochez la case info ci-dessous pour plus de détails.
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Peyton Manning is looking like an MVP again; who else?


And Manning's second-half magic provided a fitting comeback within his own remarkable return from four surgical procedures on his neck.

"I felt like I was watching the Peyton from back in 2003 through 2009. His performance was spectacular," Manning's former offensive coordinator Tom Moore told USA TODAY Sports Tuesday. "Don't ever count Peyton Manning out."

Manning hit 13 of 14 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns during his second-half clinic. He has 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, with three of those picks coming in one quarter of a Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Manning's 21-yard TD strike Monday night to Brandon Stokley's fingertips, a beat ahead of cornerback Marcus Gilchrist, underscored that Manning is not only Comeback Player of the Year frontrunner, but he is the lead MVP candidate six weeks into the season. And if the race is close at the end, he will be a heavy sentimental favorite.

A look at the early MVP contenders:

QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

He now has 47 game-winning fourth-quarter drives, by the way.

Why he'll win: He is completing 67.8% of his passes and figures to get even better with his new cast.

Why he won't: He must cover for a defense that has issues against the run.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

The reigning league MVP answered critics with a six-touchdown torching of Houston's vaunted defense.

Why he will win: With 16 TDs and a league-best 105.4 rating, he's the game's most talented passer.

Why he won't win: The lack of a run game could haunt him on an off-day.

QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

He was the leader in the clubhouse until three INTs Sunday against a woeful Oakland Raiders secondary.

Why he'll win: He has lethal weapons in WRs Roddy White and Julio Jones and tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Why he won't: Under pressure, he's vulnerable to making poor decisions.

QB Eli Manning, New York Giants

The two-time Super Bowl MVP has never been a regular-season MVP, but he's still getting better at 31.

Why he will win: Ahmad Bradshaw's running has removed the need for all those comebacks.

Why he won't win: He'll never put up stratospheric numbers.

Leading candidates for other awards

Rookie of the Year: Redskins QB Robert Griffin III is the league's most exciting player, with 6 rushing scores, 5 passing TDs and only two interceptions.

Defensive Player of the Year: Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt leads the league with 9 1/2 sacks and has an uncanny knack for batting down passes.

Coach of the Year: Despite injuries, Giants coach Tom Coughlin and his defending Super Bowl champs made a statement by thrashing San Francisco.

Driving All the Way to Detroit for a First Date With the Tigers’ Park

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
Comerica Park, which opened in 2000, has been described by critics as a “cookie-cutter.”
Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
The Tigers’ old ballpark hosted games from 1912 until 1999.
Many in Detroit still miss Tiger Stadium.
What’s the source of this dread I’m feeling? It’s not the fact that I left my Alphabet City apartment in the predawn dark on Tuesday and pointed the snout of my rust-bucket 1989 Mazda west toward my hometown, Detroit, 600 miles distant. It’s not even the sheer lunacy of my day’s itinerary — across the George Washington Bridge and the Garden State, then over the corduroy hump of Pennsylvania, and finally across that enormous dinner plate of a battleground state called Ohio. All of this just to go back home to see my beloved Detroit Tigers take on the Yankees on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
(Wait a minute, you’re thinking, a man in the 21st century wants to get from New York to Detroit to see a baseball game, and he drives? Well, yes, because I was born and raised in Detroit, and when a Detroit guy wants to go somewhere, he gets into a car and drives there. It beats showing up at La Guardia six hours before your scheduled departure and then being treated like a criminal. I rest my case for keeping my wheels on the road.)
Most surprising of all, my dread is not coming from a feeling that the Yankees’ batters are going to wake from their collective coma and start Ping-Ponging hits all over the park.
No, my dread comes from something much simpler, a question: What if my very first visit to Comerica Park stinks? What if the successor to Tiger Stadium is a “cookie cutter,” as I’ve heard it described? What if the fans are obnoxious? What if the whole experience is just another dreary episode in The Great Overpriced American Racket of Keeping the People Entertained?
To fully understand my anxiety, you need to understand that I grew up in Detroit in the 1950s and 1960s, attending baseball and football games at a glorious old pile of a stadium that hosted its first game in 1912, a few weeks after the Titanic sank. It was called Navin Field back then. When I first visited, it was known as Briggs Stadium, and the name was changed again in 1961 to Tiger Stadium. It was a great green open-air room that held about 50,000 fans but somehow felt intimate because everyone was close to the action. The stadium was enclosed, meaning you couldn’t see anything but the game that was being played before your eyes. The world went away for a few hours when you were in that place, and that was a big part of its magic.
If you loved the Tigers in the years of my youth, it was a given that you also despised the Yankees. In the first decade of my life, the Yankees won the American League all but two times — in 1954, when Bob Feller and the Cleveland Indians awoke, briefly, and in 1959 when the Chicago White Sox had a rare and uncharacteristic summer of success.
Tiger Stadium played a large part in breeding an undying sense of loyalty in the team’s fans. Understandably, they howled when ownership and local politicians started talking about abandoning the old barn at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull and building a new stadium. A group called the Tiger Stadium Fan Club came together to fight the demolition. The stadium was in need of some major work, they agreed, but it was structurally sound. Coleman Young, the former mayor, disagreed, saying, “The damned thing is falling down.”
The fan club’s efforts failed. The Tigers moved into Comerica Park in 2000, and for the next nine years, a new group called the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy fought to preserve the abandoned ballyard. They met with failure, too. The wrecking crew went to work in 2009.
The next year, a native Detroiter, a postal worker named Tom Derry, went to the Corner, as it’s known locally, and was shocked by what he saw. “It looked awful — it was just weeds,” Derry says. “I called some friends, and we took our mowers down and went to work. It looks much better now.”
Derry and Company call themselves the Navin Field Grounds Crew. Theirs is a curiously Detroit kind of mission: caring for a treasure that was allowed to vanish. “We’re very passionate about preserving the field and the history,” Derry says.
My long trip is almost over. As I send these words through the ether to the sports desk, I’m getting ready to make the right turn at Toledo. My Mazda, with 215,000 miles and change on the odometer, is running like a sewing machine. Soon I’ll hit the Michigan state line and I’ll be able to pick up the pregame sports radio chatter coming down from Detroit. Maybe I’ll get to spend the rest of this Tuesday with Mitch Albom. Or maybe not.
Either way, I’ll soon know if my dread about my first visit to Comerica Park was well founded, or if it was just the silly fretting of a lifelong Tigers fan. Which is a delicate way of admitting that I’m an incurable pessimist.
Bill Morris grew up in Detroit in the 1950s and ’60s. He is the author of the novels “Motor City” and “All Souls’ Day,” and has finished another, “Vic #43,” set during the 1967 Detroit riot and the Tigers’ 1968 championship season.