Notebook Fun

Ten greatest athletes in Miami sports history

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:11:00 +0000

Ten greatest athletes in Miami sports history, The Miami Heat's LeBron James may be the most talked about professional athlete, thanks in part to the 2013 NBA Finals. But does the four-time NBA MVP top the list among the 10 most beloved athletes of all-time in Miami?

My pro athlete choices that made the list didn't come by way of scientific formulas or statistics alone. Instead, the top 10 athletes in Miami history are judged by impact on the city and sport, team leadership, mannerism on and off the court/field, likability and accolades (to a smaller degree).

And the nominees, in alphabetical order, are:

Larry Csonka (Miami Dolphins, 1968-74, 79)

The Hall of Fame fullback last played in the NFL in 1979, but he left an indelible mark on the franchise with his superior play at the position.

Csonka was part of the 1972 Dolphins team that went 17-0, including the postseason, and won Super Bowl VII. Led by legendary coach Don Shula, Csonka was taught to run and use his size to his advantage.

The five-time Pro Bowler, who became a motivational speaker after his NFL career, played the sport with grit and integrity.

Bob Griese (Miami Dolphins, 1967-80)

Like Csonka, this former Miami Dolphins quarterback played on the 1972 team that went undefeated, was flawless in the postseason and won the Super Bowl that year. Griese is among the most decorated quarterbacks to ever play on the gridiron. He didn't have a rocket arm and didn't count on the pass much.

In Super Bowl VII, the 1967 fourth overall NFL draft pick out of Purdue University only passed the ball 11 times out of 50 total scrimmage plays. But when needed, he hit his mark time after time.

He is the only quarterback for the Dolphins that started and won a Super Bowl title. In fact, under his leadership, Miami went to the big game three consecutive years (1971, 1972 and 1973) and won two of them. Plaguing injuries forced him into retirement after 14 years in the league, all with the Dolphins. He then began life as a sports commentator.

Tim Hardaway (Miami Heat, 1995-2001)

The former University of Texas at El Paso standout began his 14-year NBA career with the Golden State Warriors. However, he is best known for his contributions to the game during his run with the Heat.

He soon became the face of the Heat, long before Dwyane Wade inherited the South Beach torch. His skills on the court were dazzling and he is often viewed as the father of the "crossover" aka the "UTEP Two-step."

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 2010-present)

Based on the way King James played in the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, it's hard to believe that he won't be first on the list. It's hard to argue that James is not currently the best basketball player on the planet. I would argue that his career numbers rival those of any top player, past or present. But again, that alone does not describe a "beloved" player.

In three seasons since breaking the heart of Cleveland Cavaliers fans, he's appeared in three straight finals, winning two.

Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins, 1983-99)

Unlike Griese, this former Dolphins quarterback doesn't have a Super Bowl ring on his résumé. But here is where his stats make up for lost room.

Over the years, he earned a treasure trove of awards and continued to set new records in professional football. And unlike Griese, he had a powerful arm that was used as his weapon of choice on the field. He didn't have fancy footwork in the pocket, but he possessed an uncanny ability to see the pass-rush.

Like Scott Mellanby, Marino and his wife established a foundation in support of autism. Their child Michael was diagnosed with the condition in the early '90s. The Dan Marino Center in Miami was opened in 1995 and currently helps to diagnose and treat children with autism.

Marino is a savvy entrepreneur who has several restaurants. And despite the recent revelation of a love child, the former NFL quarterback is still admired for what he did on and off the field.

Imagine that?

Scott Mellanby (Florida Panthers, 1993-2001)

Mellanby, primarily a right wing player, served on five different teams. However, he is best known for his years with the Panthers. In fact, two of his most productive years in terms of points scored were during his years with Florida. Scott scored the franchise's first goal. And who can forget his role in sparking the "rat trick" craze?
In 1999, Scott and his wife Susan founded The Mellanby Autism Foundation after their son, Carter, was diagnosed with the condition in 1998. Since then, the Mellanbys have worked tirelessly to raise funds for organizations that support families affected by a loved one's autism.

Alonzo Mourning (Miami Heat, 1995-2002, 2005-08)

The center played in the NBA for 15 seasons, mostly with the Heat. When 'Zo, as Mourning is affectionately known, joined the team, he had one thing on his mind: an NBA title. Whether it was topping the stat charts with blocked shots, rebounds or points per game, 'Zo brought it night after night.

Sadly, a rare kidney diagnosis in 2000 forced him into a fight of a different kind: one for his life. Three years later, Mourning received a long-awaited kidney transplant.

After missing the entire 2002-2003 NBA season, Mourning left the Heat and signed with the New Jersey Nets. Continued health problems forced a retirement. He soon returned with the Nets and was later traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2004. However, he never reported to camp.

He then returned to the Miami Heat in 2005. And in 2006, his presence and energy helped the team win their first NBA Finals title.

Mourning is not only respected for how he played the game; his life off the court is a testament to how fans marvel at his presence years after leaving the game.

On his Hall of Fame chances, Mourning recently said:

"Basketball is temporary. When it's all said and done, we're not going to be judged by what we've done on the basketball court or playing field, how nice our car is, how much money we have, how big our house is. We're going to be judged by what we do for other people. That's just what I believe and that's how I live. If it doesn't happen, that I don't make to the Hall of Fame, trust me, I'm going to do the work that I do. It won't change my perspective on life.''

Well said, 'Zo, well said.

Gary Sheffield (Florida Marlins, 1993-98)

You might say Sheffield was damaged goods by the time he began his career with the Marlins, then an expansion team. But one year later, Sheffield helped the Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.

Despite admitting to having unknowingly used steroids with his offseason partner, Barry Bonds, Marlins fans still marvel at his role in helping the team to a world title. In fact, due to his fan popularity and key role in the '97 World Series, the nine-time All-Star was spared a trade the next season, unlike his fellow teammates.

Jason Taylor (Miami Dolphins, 1997-2007, 2009, 2011)

Throughout his career in Miami, Taylor was a sack machine. In 2002, the beloved defensive end led the NFL with 18 1/2 sacks, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl, an All-Pro selection, and the AFC Defensive Player of the Year Award.

In his 13 seasons with the Dolphins (three different stints), Taylor averaged roughly 10 sacks per season, often displaying speed and tenacity off the edge. With his 139 1/2 career sacks, he currently sits sixth on the all-time list.

But Taylor's greatness was more than just QB sacks. A knack for finding the end zone, Taylor's six returned fumbles for TDs is the most in NFL history. He ended his career with nine touchdowns.

Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat, 2003-present)

Long before LeBron joined the team, D-Wade was the face of the Heat franchise. Long before injuries began to slow him down, Wade was the energy that made fans pack into the arena when the Heat came home. It was that same energy that gave South Beach its initial title in 2006 and Wade the MVP award.

His numbers are not as pretty as his James', but long before the Big 3 came along, there was a Big 1.

MLB tells union which players it plans to suspend

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:57:00 +0000

MLB tells union which players it plans to suspend, Major League Baseball has told the union which players it intends to suspend in its drug investigation and which ones will receive lengthier penalties for their roles in the Biogenesis case, two people familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.

The sides are trying to reach as many agreements as possible that would avoid grievance hearings, and talks could push back an announcement until Friday.

The meeting between MLB and the union on Tuesday, first reported by the New York Daily News, signaled the final stretch of talks. MLB hopes to announce the penalties for all players involved at the same time, both people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcements were authorized.

Three-time MVP Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees stands to receive the longest suspension. While 50 games is the standard for a first offense, the stiffer penalties for some players are tied to other alleged violations, including not being truthful to MLB investigators.

Three 2013 All-Stars could face bans: Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz, San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera and Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta. In a sign Peralta's suspension might be imminent, the Tigers acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from Boston on Tuesday night as part of a three-way trade with the Chicago White Sox.

"The frank reality is that I do not know what is going to happen with Jhonny, but with this move, we now feel well protected if there is a long suspension," Tigers general manager David Dombrowski said.

Another 2013 All-Star, Oakland pitcher Bartolo Colon, was suspended last year following a positive testosterone test, as were Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera and San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal. They won't receive additional discipline for that violation, the two people said.

Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli and Seattle catcher Jesus Montero also have been linked in media reports to Biogenesis, a closed Florida anti-aging clinic that was accused by Miami New Times in January of distributing banned performing-enhancing drugs.

Melky Cabrera was the 2012 All-Star game MVP while with San Francisco and Colon won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award with the Los Angeles Angels.

Players who don't reach agreements can ask the players' association to file grievances, which would lead to hearings before arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. Discipline for first offenders under the drug agreement usually is not announced until after the penalty is upheld, but there is an exception when the conduct leading to the discipline already has been made public.

In addition, MLB may try to suspend Rodriguez under its collective bargaining agreement instead of its drug rules, which would lead to the suspension starting before the appeal.

Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun was the first player to reach an agreement with MLB. The 2011 NL MVP accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension last week. Braun tested positive for elevated testosterone in October 2011 but a 50-game suspension was overturned the following February by an arbitrator who ruled Braun's urine sample was handled improperly.

Rodriguez faces the harshest penalty. The Yankees expected him to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation, and not being truthful with MLB in the past when he discussed his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty two years ago to a federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.

"A-Rod was my teammate in New York. I'm glad he was my teammate," retired pitcher Roger Clemens said Tuesday in Boston, where he was at Fenway Park to mark the 25th anniversary of manager Joe Morgan's team that won the 1988 AL East title.

"I did things to make him feel comfortable. I did that for all of my teammates," Clemens said. "I think I was a pretty solid teammate."

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was acquitted last year of federal charges he lied to Congress when he said he didn't take steroids or human growth hormone.

Clemens would not give his thoughts on MLB's Biogenesis investigation.

"I've got my own feelings on particular people in MLB, you know, how they approached my situation," he said. "I don't know about it, and I don't care about it, to tell you the truth."

U.S. accuses JPMorgan

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:40:00 +0000

U.S. accuses JPMorgan, The nation’s top energy regulator on Monday formally accused JPMorgan Chase of manipulating energy markets, foreshadowing a multimillion-dollar settlement that is expected as early as this week, according to people briefed on the matter.

The action by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is largely a formality ahead of the settlement — a deal that is expected to help JPMorgan avert a clash over accusations that the bank orchestrated trading strategies to turn inefficient power plants into profit centers, the people said.

From the outset, JPMorgan, which declined to comment on Monday, has denied any wrongdoing. The bank has also mounted a fierce defense of the top executives who supervised the traders in Houston accused of devising the trading strategies.

The accusations against JPMorgan stem from its rights to sell electricity from power plants. The rights come from assets that the bank acquired in the 2008 takeover of Bear Stearns.

To transform the power plants into profit generators, the agency contends, JPMorgan’s traders adopted eight different “schemes” from September 2010 to June 2011. Under the plan, the traders offered the electricity at prices that appeared falsely attractive to state energy authorities. The effort prompted authorities in California and Michigan to make excessive payments that helped drive up energy prices, the regulator said.

The settlement could cost the bank as much as $500 million, people briefed on the matter said. Accusations of market manipulation surfaced this spring in a confidential commission document, reviewed by The New York Times, which outlined a pattern of illegal trading in the electricity markets of California and Michigan. The document, a warning that investigators would recommend civil charges, also contended that a senior JPMorgan executive, Blythe Masters, gave “false and misleading statements” under oath. Ms. Masters, however, was not included in the regulator’s formal notice on Monday. JPMorgan denies that she made false statements under oath.

Initially, investigators planned to recommend that the agency hold Ms. Masters and three of her employees “individually liable.” The investigators backed away from that decision, the people briefed on the matter said.

BMW i3

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:27:00 +0000

BMW i3, The BMW i3 was officially unveiled in London today with the all-electric car boasting a 100 mile range and an iPhone app which will let you control certain aspects of the car.

Unveiled as the 'world's first premium electric car' the i3 has been designed as the ultimate city car boasting a state of the art interior featuring dual colour screens.

With the average daily commute set at around 13.1 miles each way the i3 has been built as a response by providing an eco-friendly alternative to driving around the city.

Under the bonnet there's a powerful electric motor which produces 170bhp giving the i3 an impressive 0-62mph of 7.2 secs. For those worried about range the i3 also comes in a version which features a range extender.

Using similar technology to that found in the Vauxhall Ampera the i3 Range Extender uses a tiny petrol generator which then keeps the battery at a constant level of charge.

The interior features a specially built version of BMW's ConnectedDrive system which features two displays, one behind the wheel and another mounted in the middle of the dashboard.

These can then show anything from accurate range readings to navigation. The car also comes with three different driving settings, Normal, ECO PRO and ECO PRO+ which change how the car responds increasing range and efficiency.

Outside of the car there's the new BMW i Remote iPhone and Android app which, when connected to the car will let you check battery levels and change the climate control to allow defrosting before you leave the house.

It'll also come with a navigation option letting you send destinations to the car before you've even got in, the i3 will then in turn send alerts to the app if, say, the wiper fluid level is low.

The BMW i3 has a UK release date of November and thanks to the UK electric vehicle grant it starts at £25,680 for the all-electric version which then goes up to £28,830 if you want the range extender as well.

Kentucky $250M

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:18:00 +0000

Kentucky $250M, A tiny liberal arts school in rural Kentucky that hosted vice presidential debates in 2000 and 2012 announced a $250 million donation Tuesday, one of the largest single gifts in higher education history.

The all-stock donation to Centre College from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust ranks among the 20 biggest gifts ever to a U.S. college or university, according to a list maintained by the Chronicle of Higher Education. It is the second-largest such gift to a U.S. school since 2011, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, surpassed only by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's $350 million donation to Johns Hopkins University announced earlier this year.

Centre said Tuesday it will use the money to set up scholarships for students majoring in natural sciences, economics and computational sciences.

The school, which has produced two U.S. vice presidents and a pair of U.S. Supreme Court justices, will award the scholarships to students who "have a very good chance of making a mark on the world," said Richard Trollinger, a campus vice president.

Centre President John A. Roush said the gift, which comes in the form of stock in Universal Computer Systems Holding Inc., represents a "fundamental transformation" in the school's ability to support students demonstrating leadership potential.

"The challenges and opportunities confronting our nation and world are increasingly complex, and the Brockman Scholars Program will empower talented young women and men with the knowledge, creativity and integrity necessary to address them," he said

Starting in fall 2014, 40 new Brockman Scholarships will be funded each year for students majoring in the natural and computational sciences and economics, with a total of 160 students receiving the full-ride scholarships plus more benefits by 2017, the school said.

The merit-based scholarships will cover tuition, room and board, and fees – which will cost about $45,100 for the coming school year – as well as money to support study abroad, summer research and internships. The academic majors available to Brockman Scholars will include behavioral neuroscience, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, physics and psychology.

Brockman formed the charitable trust in 1981, a few years before his death. His son, Robert T. "Bob" Brockman, attended Centre for a couple of years before getting his degree elsewhere and is a former chairman of the school's board of trustees. Bob Brockman, who lives in Houston, left the Kentucky school because he wanted a degree in business administration, which isn't offered as a major at Centre, Trollinger said.

Bob Brockman is also president and CEO of The Reynolds and Reynolds Co., an auto dealer services firm that merged with Universal Computer Systems in 2006.

The elder Brockman "saw firsthand the tremendous impact that Centre had on his son ... whose own drive and ambition were empowered by his experience as a Centre student," Evatt Tamine, trustee of the Brockman Trust, said in a statement.

Neither Bob Brockman nor Tamine attended the campus announcement, which created a stir during the quiet summer period.

The discussions between campus leaders and the trust that led to the eye-popping gift started this past July 1 – which happened to be Roush's 63rd birthday – and progressed quickly.

"We are being invited into this partnership in ways that will make a difference in the life of this college and ... the commonwealth of Kentucky in exciting and important ways, and over time our nation and world," Roush said Tuesday. "We try to prepare our students to dream big and think big, and that's not going to stop."

The leafy campus in Danville, a picturesque central Kentucky town of about 16,000, has found itself on the nation's political center stage twice, when it hosted vice presidential debates in 2000 pitting Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman and again in 2012 when Joe Biden and Paul Ryan squared off.

Centre expects enrollment of about 1,375 students for the fall semester. The school is planning modest enrollment growth to about 1,425 within a couple of years, Roush said. The school ranked 52nd nationally among liberal arts colleges in last year's ratings from U.S. News & World Report, but it ranked fifth in best undergraduate teaching and alumni giving.

A prior $19.5 million gift from the Brockman Trust went for construction of a dorm for upperclassmen that opened a year ago at Centre.

The latest gift comes amid the school's $500 million fundraising campaign leading up to Centre's bicentennial celebration in January 2019.

Trollinger said the massive gift might discourage some from giving to Centre – those who were "looking for an excuse not to give." But such sizeable gifts "tend to inspire more giving than they discourage. And that's certainly what we're banking on going into this campaign."

Texas A&M freshman, Utah recruit killed in crash

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Texas A&M freshman, Utah recruit killed in crash, Texas A&M said Tuesday that redshirt freshman Polo Manukainiu and a friend who was joining the Utah football team this fall were among three people killed in a single-car rollover crash in the high desert of northern New Mexico, stunning both schools just days before fall practices begin.

Manukainiu, a 19-year-old defensive lineman for the Aggies, and 18-year-old Utah recruit Gaius "Keio" Vaenuku were killed, officials from both schools said.

The wreck happened Monday evening on U.S. 550 near Cuba, N.M., about 85 miles north of Albuquerque, as the group of five was returning from Salt Lake City to suburban Dallas, where three of them had ties to prep football power Trinity High School in Euless.

The southbound 2002 Toyota Sequoia drifted off the sagebrush-lined highway, New Mexico State Police spokesman Emmanuel T. Gutierrez said. The driver, 18-year-old Siaosi Salesi Uhatafe Jr. of Euless, over-corrected, causing the vehicle to lose control and roll several times.

Alcohol wasn't involved and it appeared the driver was the only one wearing a seatbelt, investigators said.

Manukainiu and 13-year-old passenger Andrew "Lolo" Uhatafe died at the scene after they were ejected from the vehicle, Gutierrez said. Vaenuku was pronounced dead in an ambulance that responded to the accident.

The driver and his father, Salesi Uhatafe, were taken to the San Juan Medical Center in Farmington, N.M., and suffered only minor injuries, authorities said. Siaosi Uhatafe was a stepbrother of Manukainiu and, like Vaenuku, also is a Utah recruit.

Manukainiu had apparently traveled to Salt Lake City for some relaxation, tweeting Sunday: "It's always good to get away from the Texas Heat for the weekend. Utah got that breezeeeeeee."

On Monday, hours before the accident, he tweeted: "22 hour drive back to Texas on no sleep. Oh my."

Manukainiu played football at Trinity High and was part of the Aggies' 2012 signing class. He was a recreation, parks and tourism science major, the school said, and is survived by his mother, Lima Uhatafe of Euless.

"We lost a terrific young man," Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. "Polo was loved by his teammates and coaches. Anyone who came in contact with him was struck by his sense of humor and smile. My heart aches for his mom and family members."

Texas A&M finished last season ranked No. 5 after an 11-2 season, their first in the Southeastern Conference. They were led by quarterback Johnny Manziel, who became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, and are expected to be highly ranked again this year.

"Heart hurts waking up to news about Polo," Manziel tweeted on Tuesday. "I think I speak for everyone on our team when I say we love you brother you will be missed."

It is the second such tragedy for Texas A&M in less than two years: Senior offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio, 22, was killed in a December 2011 car accident after veering head-on into the path of an 18-wheeler 40 miles from College Station. He had spent part of that day delivering gifts to families at a local shelter. Manziel mentioned Villavisencio during his Heisman acceptance speech last year.

Vaenuku was a defensive tackle who had planned to play one year at Utah before going on a two-year Mormon mission.

"Everyone who knew Gaius is heartbroken today," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He was the kind of young man who lit up a room and his future in football and life had no boundaries. Words cannot express our devastation over the loss of Gaius."

Vaenuku was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and considered playing at church-owned Brigham Young but he said he felt more at home in Salt Lake City playing for the Utes. His mother, Cela Vaenuku, said the last time she spoke to him was on Sunday — a brief conversation on how he had spent his day.

"He was a wonderful son," she said. "He was very social, very outgoing young man and a people person who always made people laugh."

She said he was the third oldest among seven brothers and sisters, and "they took it very hard" when they heard the news of his death. She said her son had planned to be dormitory roommates with Siaosi Utahafe, the driver.

The news stunned Trinity High in Euless, where Manukainiu, Vaenuku and Siaosi Utahafe all played football. The team has been one of the best in Texas in recent years, with three state titles in a span of five seasons from 2005-09 and a trip to the championship game in 2010.

Principal Mike Harris said the deaths have affected a majority of the Euless community, where there is a tight-knit Polynesian community.

"They were students with bright smiles that everybody knew and everybody loved," the principal said.

Texas A&M associate athletic director Alan Cannon said Manukainiu was known for his sense of humor and "will be sorely missed as a person you enjoyed being around." He said the football staff was working Tuesday to notify teammates of his death. Players are scheduled to report to campus Sunday to begin practicing for the upcoming season.

Cannon said Manukainiu was to wear jersey No. 90 and that it was too early to determine if players will affix the number to their uniforms as a tribute. The NCAA must approve any such recognition, Cannon said.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin to have hip surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin to have hip surgery, Percy Harvin will have hip surgery on Thursday, sidelining the dynamic wide receiver for the start of his first season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Harvin made the announcement on his Twitter account Tuesday night, hours after getting a second opinion on the injury in New York. The Seahawks then said the operation was scheduled for Thursday.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll has not indicated which hip is bothering Harvin.

Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall has sprained ligaments in his right ankle and could miss the rest of training camp.
Colleges

Penn State's ex-president and two former top school administrators were ordered to stand trial on charges accusing them of a cover-up in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Prosecutors showed enough evidence during a two-day preliminary hearing to warrant a trial for ex-president Graham Spanier, former vice-president Gary Schultz and ex-athletic director Tim Curley, District Judge William Wenner concluded.

The men engaged in a "conspiracy of silence," the lead state prosecutor, Bruce Beemer, said during his closing argument. They covered up their failure to tell police about a 2001 allegation that Sandusky was molesting a boy in a university locker room shower, despite knowing that police investigated complaints about Sandusky showering with boys in 1998, Beemer said.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said running back Carlos Hyde is suspended for at least the first three games of the regular season and will be required to meet additional obligations before he plays again for the Buckeyes. Hyde will miss the Sept. 14 game at Cal.

Texas A&M said redshirt freshman Polo Manukainiu was among three people killed in a single-car rollover crash in the high desert of northern New Mexico. Also killed were 18-year-old Utah recruit Gaius "Keio" Vaenuku and 13-year-old Andrew "Lolo" Uhatafe.

Rutgers announced that Eric LeGrand's No. 52 jersey will be the first retired by the program that played college football's first game in 1869. LeGrand was injured during a game in October 2010 and left paralyzed.
Swimming

Incoming Cal freshman Missy Franklin easily won the 100 backstroke in 58.42 seconds for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain. Cal sophomore Elizabeth Pelton finished fourth.

American Katie Ledecky, 16, obliterated the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle by more than 6 seconds for her second gold medal.

Ledecky was timed in 15 minutes, 36.53 seconds, breaking Kate Ziegler's mark of 15:42.54 from 2007. Cal alum Lauren Boyle of New Zealand took the bronze.

The U.S. medaled in every final, winning four golds, two silvers and a bronze. The only disappointment for the U.S. was Ryan Lochte, who finished fourth in the 200 free.

NBA

The Detroit Pistons have acquired point guard Brandon Jennings from the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard Brandon Knight and two prospects, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Milwaukee signed free agent guard Gary Neal and first-round draft pick Giannis Antetokounmpo. Neal got a two-year deal worth close to $6 million.

Oscar "Ossie" Schectman, the former New York Knicks guard who scored the first basket in NBA history nearly seven decades ago, died. He was 94.

Guard Mike Miller has signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kat Dahlia Arrested for DUI in Miami Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:59:00 +0000

Kat Dahlia Arrested for DUI in Miami Beach, She was celebrating her birthday with friends on a small cruiser boat named Dudeism off the coast of Miami, Florida.
But after a day of serious partying, it seems rapper Kat Dahlia, real name Katriana Huguet, should have had a designated driver take her home.

Instead, the 23-year old spent the day after her birthday apparently hungover and behind bars on Tuesday.

The Cuban-American rapper has been arrested on charges of DUI and resisting arrest without violence, the AP reports.Kat was arrested early Tuesday in Miami Beach, Florida and was being held on $2,000 bail.

The arrest affidavit reports that an officer spotted Huguet speeding with the headlights off and pulled her over.The officer noticed a strong smell of alcohol in the car and noted that Huguet had blood shot eyes and her speech was slurred, according to the AP.

Kat refused to perform any sobriety tests and cursed at the officer.'The best day of the year' she tweeted on Monday before her arrest.She received a number of birthday wishes from fans and even one from People En Español magazine.

Kat posted a photo of a boat 'Dudeism' with a male friend posing next to who wearing a red tank top, shorts and flip flops while she was celebrating her big day.

She also posted video of the boat on her Instagram via Vine on Monday that read '#weonaf*ckinboat #itoldyou #universecamethrough #happybirthdaytome #dudeism #305 @akapollya @frantastickaon that has since been taken down.

Huguet is a fierce performer and known for mixing rhythms like hip hop, R&B and soul. She is currently single, but revealed that she has the hots for hunky actor Bradley Cooper.

The rising star confesses her lust for the Hangover stud in an interview with Vibe Vixen last week'He’s hot, sexy, funny and he seems very chill. And from what I hear, he lives with his mother, which I love. I think that is the cutest thing ever,' she explains.

'My sister was telling me he moved to LA and had a crazy life and then he ended up moving back in with his mom. I love that,' she said.'I think it’s cool and down to earth. But we’ll see. He could be a total asshole and end up having a little dick. So, you never know.'The feisty rapper should be released before her upcoming album My Garden is available in stores this September.

Amazon touts new jobs a day before Obama visit

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:49:00 +0000

Amazon touts new jobs a day before Obama visit, Amazon knows how to promote a presidential appearance.

A day before President Obama visits an Amazon warehouse in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Internet giant announced Monday it is adding 7,000 new jobs in 13 states.

The company says that 5,000 full-time jobs will be added at distribution centers, where orders are packed and shipped. The other 2,000 jobs are in customer service, including full-time, part-time and seasonal.

On Tuesday, Obama will visit one of the Amazon "fulfillment centers" in Chattanooga, part of a new series of speeches on the middle class.

The White House says that "Tuesday's speech will focus on manufacturing and high wage jobs for durable economic growth."

The president will "discuss proposals he has laid out to jump-start private sector job growth and make America more competitive, and will also talk about new ideas to create American jobs," says a White House announcement.

IPhone fingerprint

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:43:00 +0000

IPhone fingerprint, As we store more and more of our personal lives on smartphones, mobile security is becoming increasingly crucial. A password offers some protection, but it may not deter a serious hacker.For users of Apple devices, more help might be on the way.

According to several reports, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system suggests future iPhones will have biometric scanners that read fingerprints. A user could register his or her prints with the device, then place a thumb on the home button to unlock the phone.

Fingerprint verification could also add an extra layer of security when making mobile payments, for example.

A biometric sensor has been a rumored feature on the next iPhone for months. But the rumors got a boost when a beta version of iOS 7 was released Monday night to Apple developers. At least one developer found a file called "BiometricKitUI" containing numerous references to "fingerprint," according to reports by 9to5Mac, Extreme Tech and other blogs.

"You can then unlock your phone by putting your thumb on the home button. No longer will friends and family be able to pick up and peruse your phone -- no longer will you have to key in your passcode every time you want to do something," wrote Sebastian Anthony for Extreme Tech.

Of course, many blogs trade in feverish rumors about Apple products that later prove unfounded, and there's no proof that such a feature will show up on the next iPhone, expected to be launched this fall.

Observers expect the as-yet-unnamed phone (iPhone 5S?) to have a faster processor, better battery life and an improved camera, possibly with a slow-motion video function.

Apple also has been experimenting with larger screens for the iPhone and iPad.

Ohio State’s Cris Carter conquered ‘dark chapter’ on road to Pro Football Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:36:00 +0000

Ohio State’s Cris Carter conquered ‘dark chapter’ on road to Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chris Spielman argues frequently that Cris Carter, not Jerry Rice, is the greatest NFL receiver of all time.

Spielman, who played with Carter for three years at Ohio State and against him for 10 of Carter’s 16 seasons in the league, means no disrespect to Rice or any other hall of famer. But Spielman feels that strongly about Carter, who ranked second in career receptions (1,101) and touchdowns (130) when he retired after the 2002 season.

“I would say he is the best wide receiver I ever played with or played against,” Spielman said of Carter. “The guy I knew would never drop a ball. If I saw it going his direction when we were playing the Vikings, I said, ‘Hopefully we’ll knock it down before it gets to him. If it comes within a 6-inch radius, he’s going get it.’ ”

William White, Carter’s roommate at Ohio State who played defensive back for 11 years in the NFL, sounds as if he would jump into any verbal fray with Spielman.

“If you put Cris Carter with Joe Montana for 15 years, what do you think he would have done?” said White, whose days trying to cover Carter date to high school, when Carter played football and basketball at Middletown and White did the same at Lima Senior. “I would rather guard Jerry Rice than Cris Carter.”

But when Carter becomes the 22nd modern-era receiver inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night at Fawcett Stadium, those who honor Carter won’t talk just about his numbers and leaping ability and acrobatic catches. They will laud him for conquering problems with cocaine, marijuana and alcohol that led to him being cut by Philadelphia Eagles coach Buddy Ryan after the 1989 season.

Even Carter’s entry into the NFL carried some scandal. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1987 supplemental draft after it was learned he took money from an agent while at Ohio State.“The thing people should know, that kids should know, is that you can have a dark chapter in your life, but it doesn’t have to be the final chapter,” Carter, now an ESPN analyst, said during a telephone interview Monday. “You have to make choices in life. If you want better results, don’t keep doing the same thing.”

Spielman said he admires Carter for “beating the odds.”

“A lot of guys who have struggled with what he struggled with, a lot of times they fall off the face of the earth,” Spielman, now an ESPN college football analyst, said in a telephone interview last week. “I like the fact Cris never blamed it on anybody but himself. For him to almost throw everything away, to resurrect his career and become a hall of famer is a credit to him and to the people around him who gave him that second chance.”

Carter’s roommate at Ohio State for 18 months, White said Carter was the best man in his
wedding. They are godparents for each other’s children. White said he tried to help Carter conquer his problems in college.

“I was able to know Cris Carter when he was all about himself, doing the things he wanted to do,” White said by telephone Monday. White now lives in Powell, Ohio, and is a regional vice president for Project Lead the Way, which provides innovative curriculum used in schools. “He got kicked out of Ohio State for various reasons.”

But Carter wasn’t listening to White back then.

“I was there in college when he was doing it, at that time preaching what he should and should not do,” White said. “He left me and went to Reggie White. Going to Philadelphia was probably the best thing that could happen to him because he met up with Reggie. I remember when Reggie baptized him in his pool Cris called me and was all excited. Getting into the Word of God and realizing the world is bigger than just him. He was put here for a reason and his talent was to help and inspire others. That what’s he’s gone on in his life to do.

“We’re all ex-something. We’ve all got something in our past we’re not happy about. He was exposed. He was able to use that and say, ‘You can change. Just because you’re this you don’t have to stay that way. It’s all about a choice.’ ”

Carter said Monday that he talked to Ryan once about why he was cut, when he had the opportunity to interview Ryan during his early days in television. But Carter said on a recent NFL conference call that was not the lowest point in his life.

“At the time I was clean and wasn’t using any substances,” Carter said on the conference call. “The times where I was trying to stay clean and I couldn’t stay clean, those were the lowest moments.”Bill Conley was Carter’s football coach at Middletown High School for his last two seasons and a 17-year assistant at Ohio State, including while Carter played there. He helped Carter choose football over basketball when he was headed for Ohio State. Conley, now coach at Ohio Dominican, praised Carter for becoming “a real role model for everybody.”

But that didn’t happen until the Minnesota Vikings spent $100 to pick up Carter on waivers. There he became an eight-time Pro Bowler and recorded eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.“I did have to start over, start from the bottom again,” Carter said Monday. “It was a long process. It was a daily slow grind.”

With the Vikings, Carter again became the player White and Spielman were used to seeing in practice.“I wish there were highlights of all my days at practice,” Carter said on the NFL conference call. “Almost every day I tried to do something that would be like ‘Wow.’ I haven’t caught a ball that I was really shocked because during practice I caught pretty much every ball from every angle.

“We used to make little wagers with the receiver group who would make the best catch of the day. Also you couldn’t have a drop. I tried to go weeks at a time without dropping a football.”White said one day Carter told him before an OSU practice he was going to catch everything left-handed.

“I wanted to guard him. If I could guard the best player in college football, Saturday should be easy,” White said. “Even when Cris was covered, he’s not covered. They’d throw it up high and he’d jump up and catch it with one hand. I’d push him and say, ‘That’s not even normal.’“We were more in awe of his talent. Even though he was probably the most talented person on our team, he was also one of the hardest workers.”

Conley and Spielman said the best catch they saw Carter make in a game came in the 1985 Citrus Bowl against BYU.
“I remember [quarterback] Jim Karsatos talking about how he tried to throw the ball away on the BYU sideline and Cris went up and got it with one hand,” Spielman said. “That was the best catch I ever witnessed.”Countered Carter on Monday, “I don’t think it was the most difficult catch I’ve ever made, but I can understand why they would say that. You can see it on YouTube. It was an unbelievable catch.”

Carter doesn’t know why he had to wait until his sixth year of eligibility to be elected to the hall of fame. White isn’t happy that Carter was snubbed for so long, but will be in Canton to help Carter celebrate. Carter said it’s possible past and present Ohio State coaches Earle Bruce, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer will attend.“Politics should not have to do with what someone does on the field, whether you like them or don’t like them,” White said.

But Carter doesn’t need to see his bust or put on the yellow jacket or stand in front of a podium for the magnitude of the honor to sink in. It already has.

“I know my life is changed forever,” Carter said on the NFL conference call. “I know it’s something I never imagined happening for me. I know the history of this game. I know what the hall of fame means.“My buddies, the guys I played football with when I was 8, 9, 10 years old, they’re still my best friends, all those guys will be there. My high school coach Bill Conley will be there.

These are all the people who not only knew me, but helped develop me. And also, when I went through my darkest hours, they stood by my side, they didn’t abandon me and they always thought I was going to do something special with my life. I’m glad I was able to get it together and not disappoint them.”

4 Out Of 5: Poverty Statistics America

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:55:00 +0000

4 Out Of 5: Poverty Statistics America, The Associated Press recently reported some damning results from a survey which looked at the financial circumstances of the population.

They found that a shocking four out of five Americans could be classified as “near poverty.” This is bad news for President Obama, as it comes just as he is embarking on a P.R. ‘blitz’ to convince the people that the economy is improving, and that job creation is his priority.

The problem is that the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. Joblessness is so bad that Irene Salyers, 52, of Buchanan County, Va. said: “If you do try to go apply for a job, they’re not hiring people, and they’re not paying that much to even go to work.” She added that the youth have, “nothing better to do than to get on drugs.” It’s true that this is only one person’s view, but there is widespread belief that she’s right.

The Oxford University Press survey, which AP saw in advance of publication, defined poverty as: “a year or more of joblessness, food-stamp usage or poverty-line household income.” Mark Rank, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, calculated the findings after discussions with the Census Bureau and other academics.

One of his conclusions was that it is no longer an issue of “them”and “us”, meaning the gap between whites, blacks, and Hispanics was no longer as wide as in the past. He said future support programs would have to aimed at a broader section of the people.

Philadelphia explosion

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:49:00 +0000

Philadelphia explosion, Row houses were reduced to rubble when an explosion rocked a Philadelphia neighborhood Monday, sending at least eight people to hospitals.

Natural gas caused the blast, which collapsed three homes, city officials said in a statement.Witnesses told CNN affiliate KYW that they smelled gas after the blast.

"I was sitting in the house and I heard a big bang," Mike McGraw told KYW. "The door slammed and the TV went out."
His son, Mike McGraw Jr., said he saw the buckled buildings and watched firefighters hose down a man who had been burned.

"They threw this baby out the window because the girl was on fire," he said, "and the fireman had to catch the baby."
A contractor was doing rehab work in a vacant home when it collapsed, Deputy Fire Chief Robert Coyne told reporters. The two adjacent houses were also destroyed, he said.

One person was in critical condition with severe burns, city officials said.A spokesperson for Jefferson University Hospital told the CNN affiliate that seven people were being treated for minor injuries there, including a mother, a father, and a two-month-old baby who were inside the home next to the house that collapsed.

Dozens of homes remained evacuated Monday afternoon. City officials said all residents in the area had been accounted for, but fire officials were using listening devices to double check.Aerial footage of the scene showed a large pile of rubble between two buildings, with splintered wood beams sticking out where rooms of the house once stood.
Joe Szymborski told KYW that he was lying in bed when he heard the explosion.

"I threw on my shoes, ran down there and helped three people out of the house," he said."It's just instinct. Anybody would do it for anybody else around here," he said. "We're all neighbors and friends."

The home where the blast occurred was a permitted construction site, city officials said. Authorities are investigating to determine what caused a gas leak in the area. Gas service on the street has been shut off, the city said.

Last month, a four-story wall of a vacant building in Philadelphia collapsed onto an adjacent Salvation Army thrift store, killing six people and injuring 13.Authorities charged crane operator Sean Benschop, 42, with involuntary manslaughter and other related charges.

Beer can house Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:44:00 +0000

Beer can house Houston, A child of the Great Depression, John Milkovisch didn't throw anything away – not even the empty cans of beer he enjoyed each afternoon with his wife.

So, in the early 1970s when aluminum siding on houses was all the rage, he lugged down the cans he had stored in his attic for years, painstakingly cut open and flattened each one and began to wallpaper his home.

"The funny thing is that it wasn't ... to attract attention," said Ruben Guevara, head of restoration and preservation of the Beer Can House in Houston's Memorial Park area. "He said himself that if there was a house similar to this a block away, he wouldn't take the time to go look at it. He had no idea what was the fascination about what he was doing."

Milkovisch passed away in the mid-1980s, but his wife, Mary, still lived there. Her sons would do work from time to time, replacing rusty steel cans with new ones and restoring a hurricane-destroyed beer wall. And when they feared for her safety because of the gawkers, they put up a privacy fence, embedding beer cans in that as well.

The neighborhood has rapidly transformed since Mary Milkovisch's death in the mid-1990s, going from a working middle-class area to today's condo- and loft-lined upper-class sector. But the home remains a well-known entity.

Determined to preserve this accidental piece of folk art, local nonprofit Orange Show Center for Visionary Art bought the property about 10 years ago, began a careful restoration of the house and opened it to the public.

"It shows the human nature of the individual is supreme. You can take the simplest thing, and it can actually affect a lot of other people," said Houston resident Patrick Louque, who lived in the area when it was John Milkovisch's pet project. "It's totally grabbed me, and it's probably totally grabbed the imagination of more people than I could possibly imagine."

Milkovisch began redecorating the home's exterior in earnest in 1968, when he purchased a metal canopy for his backyard so he and his wife could have some shade while drinking their afternoon beers. Fed up with lawn-mowing, he began installing concrete blocks throughout the yard, embedding them with marbles he had collected as a boy.

The back wall of the canopied area became a cacophony of colors – sunlight playing tricks as it shone through the beer bottles and marbles.

Then, he moved on to the side and the front, using long-collected materials and gathering discarded items from the railroad track nearby, where he worked as an upholsterer refurbishing rail cars. Lugging home the things he wanted in a satchel or a wheelbarrow he inherited from his father, Milkovisch would spend a few hours each day outside, where his wife – who barred him from doing too much to the interior – had given him free rein.

"He used cans, bottles, marbles, redwood," Guevara said. "He drank a lot of beer, him and Mary, and he collected all the beer cans that he would drink. He stored them because he knew he was going to use them, but he didn't know for what."

A lot of beer it was, too. The art center estimates Milkovisch had 50,000 cans that piled up by drinking a six-pack daily over the span of 20 years. For 17 months, working from bottom to top, Milkovisch coated the home with cans of Budweiser, Texas Pride, Shiner – really, whatever brand was on sale. He created long, decorative garlands from beer can tops and hung them along the eaves at the front and sides of his home.

"The front of the house, when that went up, that's when all the buzz began," Guevara said, referring to the garlands that nearly hide the entire front porch and door.

People would drive by, slow down, stare and honk. Often, they would stop and ask questions. So, Milkovisch would do what came most naturally to him.

Invite them in for a beer.

Hitler bell

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:36:00 +0000

Hitler bell, Like many others in Austria's countryside, a tower bell above the red-tiled rooftops of Wolfpassing village marks the passing of each hour with an unspectacular "bong."But this bell is unique: It is embossed with a swastika and praise to Adolf Hitler.And unlike more visible remnants of the Nazi era, the bell was apparently overlooked by Austrian officials up to now.

Ensconced in the belfry of an ancient castle where it was mounted by fans of the Nazi dictator in 1939, the bell has tolled on for nearly 80 years. It survived the defeat of Hitler's Germany, a decade of post-war Soviet occupation that saw Red Army soldiers lodge in the castle and more recent efforts by Austria's government to acknowledge the country's complicity in crimes of that era and make amends.

Some of those efforts have focused on identifying relics of that time and ensuring they're either removed or put in historical context. As an example, officials often cite government moral and material support for the restoration of the Mauthausen concentration camp, where a museum documents atrocities for school children and other visitors.

The Wolfpassing bell pays homage to Hitler for his 1938 annexation of Austria — a move supported back then by the majority of the nation's citizens. It describes Hitler as "the unifier and Fuehrer of all Germans" and says he freed the "Ostmark" — Nazi jargon for Austria — "from the yoke of suppression by foreign elements and brought it home into the Great-German Reich."

Local historian Johannes Kammerstaetter says most villagers would have known about it.But village mayor Josef Sonnleitner asserts even the villagers had no clue until the first media reports last month on the "Fuehrerglocke," or "Fuehrer Bell."

"Nobody cared until all this publicity," Sonnleitner said on the telephone. He refused a request for a longer interview, saying he was busy for the next two weeks with haying.In any case, the government's recent sale of the castle — with all its historical trappings — has suddenly made the bell an issue beyond the sleepy village of 1,500 people about 60 miles west of Vienna.

In a country particularly sensitive about suggestions it has not fully faced its Nazi past, officials are scrambling for explanations of why the bell apparently evaded notice for so long. They also are under pressure to justify a ruling by the government agency in charge of historic monuments that it must remain part of the castle as part of its heritage— despite the refusal of the new owner to say what he plans to do with it.

Propagating Nazi values or praising the era is illegal in Austria.Kammerstaetter, the historian, asked state prosecutors to examine whether the government's sale of the bell was a criminal offence. He says the change of ownership could constitute a case of "spreading National Socialist ideology" on the part of the government agency in charge of state-owned property.

Raimund Fastenbauer, a senior official of Vienna's Jewish community, invokes other concerns, noting that other Hitler-era relics like the dictator's house of birth in the western town of Braunau have become a magnet for neo-Nazis.

"I think the best thing would be if the bell disappeared and was buried somewhere," he says.For its part, the government says that the sale was legal, along with the decision to keep the bell in the belfry as an integral component of the castle.

Economics Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner says the agency overseeing the sale was not aware of the inscription.He notes in a letter to Kammerstaetter that "the bell up to now was neither publicly displayed nor generally accessible," adding that he does not see the sale as constituting a criminal offense.

Ernst Eichinger, a spokesman for the agency responsible for government real-estate, says that with a portfolio of more than 28,000 buildings — many of them huge — "we cannot search every centimeter" before a sale.Concerns are heightened by the lack of clarity about what the new owner, Tobias Hufnagl, plans to do with the relict.

Sonnleitner, the Wolfpassing mayor, says has not been able to directly contact Hufnagl, despite weeks of trying.
Despite numerous Associated Press queries, Hufnagl said he had "no interest" in discussing the matter.

Woman sues Equifax

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Woman sues Equifax, Julie Miller, of Marion County, Ore., found out that her Equifax credit report contained false information when she was denied credit by multiple banks.

Miller said she contacted the company eight times over two years in an attempt to correct false information about her Social Security number, birth date and collection accounts. At one point, Equifax told her that her account had accidentally been combined with another person's.

After multiple years of trying to resolve the dispute, Miller took Equifax to court in 2011. On Friday, a jury ordered Equifax to pay Miller $18.6 million -- one of the largest-ever financial victories for consumer complaints against credit companies.

Miller's lawyer, Justin Baxter, told ABC News that the jury was sympathetic to the multiple ways that bad credit had impacted her life. In one instance, Miller couldn't obtain credit for her disabled brother.

He also said that Equifax's failure to protect Miller's personal account information constituted a breach of privacy that could have influenced the jury.

"There was damage to her reputation, a breach of her privacy and the lost opportunity to seek credit," Baxter said.

Equifax has yet to comment on the case, though it is likely that the company will appeal the decision.

Hundreds protest police violence for streetcar shooting victim, Sammy Yatim

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:58:00 +0000

Hundreds protest police violence for streetcar shooting victim, Sammy Yatim, A memorial is growing at the site of the recent fatal shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim aboard a TTC streetcar.

And hundreds of Torontonians participated in a protest march Monday evening to bring further awareness to the police shooting that has raised the ire of many across Toronto.

Yatim’s mother and sister were among the crowd of protesters that stretched more than a block as marchers left a downtown square for the west-end intersection where the teenager died on Saturday morning.

Barely able to speak, Sammy’s mother repeated her son’s name over and over again, her hand reaching for a photo of him.

The shooting has sparked a flood of anger at Toronto police, who have suspended an officer involved in the shooting.

The crowd chanted “Shame!” with a handful of protesters angrily confronting police monitoring the march. Marchers briefly stopped outside a local police station, venting at the force’s handling of the incident.

The protest started at 5 p.m. with hundreds of people gathering at Yonge and Dundas Square. The protest then moved west along Dundas Street stopping at various intersections and police stations along the way.

Yatim was killed during an altercation with police late on Friday night while aboard the 505 TTC streetcar on Dundas Street West near Bellwoods Avenue.

The shooting is being investigated by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

A Facebook group, Sammy’s Fight for Justice, with almost 6,000 likes as of 4 p.m. has become a rallying point for people ahead of the planned protest.

“Can’t wait to see your posters and support and please don’t forget this is a civilized protest for anyone who is against the injustice way police officers treat innocent people, and it is also a memorial for Sammy!” a post on the page reads.

The shooting has many people, including Yatim’s mother, questioning why the police fired nine shots at her son.

“The thing I care that, they shoot my kid, my son and I didn’t know why. I watched the video, he was standing with a knife, not with a [gun] but with a knife and I felt that he was very afraid, I felt it. I felt that he was very afraid,” Sahar Bahadi told Global News in an interview at her Toronto home.

And a memorial of flowers and anonymous notes has grown around a light pole near Dundas Street West and Bellwoods Avenue where the shooting happened. Messages left in tribute to Yatim read “You were everyone’s son, everyone’s child” and “you asked for help and we failed you.”

Another message, taped to the pole, read simply “You mattered.”

'You're So Vain'

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:41:00 +0000

'You're So Vain', Taylor Swift and Carly Simon are both blond singer-songwriters, and the comparisons don’t end there. They also get asked a certain question pretty often: Who did you write that song about? In Simon’s case, everyone wants to know the subject of “You’re So Vain,” which has been rumored to be about everyone from Mick Jagger to Warren Beatty. In Swift’s case, every love song is up for speculation.

So it’s only appropriate that Swift brought Simon out onstage Saturday night to sing “Vain” during her Red Tour stop in Foxborough, Mass. Watch the entire performance below:

Iggy Azalea tones down her racy look

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:27:00 +0000

Iggy Azalea tones down her racy look, She's become known of her eye-catching and provocative stage outfits.But rapper Iggy Azalea toned down her avant-garde style as she took a stroll through New York on Monday in simple black leggings and a white T-shirt.

The star managed to pull off a simple but stylish daytime look as she chatted to friends, after announcing that she will be supporting Beyoncé on the Australian leg of her Mrs Carter world tour.

Proving that she can do casual cool as well dramatic glamour, the 23-year-old paired leather leggings with a loose-fitting white T-shirt.

Adding a splash of colour to the black and white outfit, Iggy - real name Amethyst Amelia Kelly - rolled up the sleeves of the top to reveal a hint of turquoise.She added a pair of gold lace-up trainers and carried a bright red Givenchy snakeskin bag as she showed a pal something on her iPad.

The Australian star, who has seen her profile skyrocket in recent months, has just bagged herself a coveted spot supporting superstar Beyoncé in October.

Keeping her fans in the loop via her Twitter, Iggy announced the news in her typically unique way, posting a video of herself riding a scooter and screaming: 'I'm going on tour with Beyoncé.'

'That was my special news for Australia! Can't wait to join this tour! thankyou so much to everyone for supporting me! and thanks beyonce!,' she wrote.

The Work star will return home for the 17-date tour which see her hit all of Australia's major cities, before heading to New Zealand.

Iggy has already seen her popularity soar in the UK, with single Bounce doing well in the charts, despite the fact that she's yet to release her debut album.

She's been nominated in the One To Watch category in this year's MTV VMAs, alongside Austin Mahone and Twenty One Pilots.

Iggy Azalea tones down her racy look

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:19:00 +0000

Fast food workers strike

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:58:00 +0000

Fast food workers strike, They're not lovin' it.Hundreds of New York City fast food workers from the likes of McDonald’s, Wendy’s and KFC went on strike Monday, chanting “Hold the burgers hold the fries, make our wages super-sized!"

They shouted that they deserve the right to unionize and $15 hourly wages instead of the minimum wage they currently earn."I want for us to be respected. $7.25 is not enough!" said Lisette Ortiz, 27, of Rockaway, who works at a McDonald's in Downtown Brooklyn.

"I live with my dad. I would like to get my own apartment. You can't! It's impossible!"
Her comments echoed scores of mostly part-time burger flippers, pizza deliverymen and fry cooks who gathered at fast food joints in the Bronx, midtown Manhattan, and downtown Brooklyn before a rally of around 300 protesters in Union Square. They said their paychecks simply cannot sustain life in the city.

"I live with my grandma, my aunt, and cousin. I can't even afford privacy!" said Naquasia LeGrand, 22, of Canarsie, Brooklyn."I'm a cashier, I cook, prep, clean — I do it all. It's just not enough, $7.25, not when milk and eggs are going up!”

She said she relies on $113 a month in welfare, in addition to the $225 she makes from working 38 hours a week at two KFCs.

Councilman Jumaane Williams led a rowdy crowd of 60 that barged into the rear entrance of a Wendy's in Downtown Brooklyn. Protestors chanted to the workers inside, "We can't survive on $7.25!" and "Come on out, we got your back!"

Williams presented a manager of the burger joint with a letter demanding any worker who chooses to strike be protected from future reprimand.

Similar protests were held in six other cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit.

Burger King said in a statement its wages and benefits meet industry standards. The jobs provide “an entry point into the workforce for millions of Americans,” the company said.

Fast food workers are paid on average between $10,000 and $18,000 a year, according to New York Communities for Change.

Mitt Romney On 47 Percent Remark

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:52:00 +0000

Mitt Romney On 47 Percent Remark, His infamous 47 percent remarks were taken out of context, Mitt Romney told The Washington Post's Dan Balz in an interview published Sunday.

Asked about the oft-cited quote that 47 percent of Americans can't be persuaded to take personal responsibility, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee said, "Actually, I didn't say that ...That's how it began to be perceived, and so I had to ultimately respond to the perception, because perception is reality."

At a May 2012 closed-to-the-press fundraiser in Florida, Romney said, "And so my job is not to worry about those people -- I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5 to 10 percent in the center that are independents, that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not, what it looks like."

But Romney told Balz that the focus of his remarks was on swing voters, not on those who were already in President Barack Obama's camp. "[I]t was saying, 'Look, the Democrats have 47 percent, we've got 45 percent, my job is to get the people in the middle, and I've got to get the people in the middle,'" he said. "They’ve got a bloc of voters, we've got a bloc of voters, I've got to get the ones in the middle. And I thought that that would be how it would be perceived -- as a candidate talking about the process of focusing on the people in the middle who can either vote Republican or Democrat."

Romney's argument that the remarks were taken out of context is a new defense for him. During the campaign, he said at first that they were "not elegantly stated" and then that they were "completely wrong."

Also in the interview with Balz, Romney claimed that Obama had made a similar comment: "And I think the president said he's writing off 47 percent of Americans and so forth. And that wasn't at all what was intended. That wasn't what was meant by it. That is the way it was perceived."

Romney nonetheless acknowledged that the quote was "very damaging" to his campaign. Indeed, the Obama campaign seized on the remark, creating an ad based on it, and the former Massachusetts governor took a hit in the polls.

FBI arrests 150

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:46:00 +0000

FBI arrests 150, he FBI launched a 72-hour nationwide operation targeting pimps who prey on children -- an undercover mission that rescued 105 teens ranging mostly in age from 13 to 17 years old, with the youngest victim being 9 years old, authorities said Monday.

Ronald Hosko, assistant director of the FBI's criminal division, said "Operation Cross-Country" -- launched Friday -- included sting operations in 76 U.S. cities that resulted in the arrests of 150 pimps.

Child sex trafficking remains "one of the most prevalent, violent and unconscionable crimes in our country," Hosko said during a news conference Monday morning.

Hosko said law enforcement refers to these young victims as "children with a void." Once the pimp identifies that void and makes every attempt to fill it, a dependency between the child and the perpetrator develops, Hosko said.

He added that the most vulnerable victims forced into sex trafficking range in age from 13 to 16. Most of the children come from either foster care homes or are considered runaways.

"This operation targeted venues where girls and adults are operated for commercial sex," Hosko said, including places like street tracks, truck stops, casinos and hotels.

"The victims cut across racial lines," he said, and span all socioeconomic levels and demographics.

John Ryan, CEO of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, called underage prostitution an "escalating threat against America's children." Ryan congratulated federal, state and local authorities for "bringing to justice those who violently manipulate these children and sell them for sex" during the 72-hour massive operation.

"Many of these children don't have concerned family members who are looking for them," Ryan said.

The FBI joined forces with 230 agencies around the country during the three-day mission, Hosko said. Every FBI field office in the nation was involved in the operation.

Hosko said that in the past, child prostitutes have been recovered at major U.S. sporting events, including the NCAA men's college basketball tournament and the Super Bowl.

Drew Oosterbaan of the Department of Justice, who also spoke at the news conference, said a range of state and federal charges will be brought against the pimps apprehended during the mission.

"Operation Cross-Country" was the largest of its type and conducted under the FBI's "Innocence Lost" initiative. The FBI said the campaign has resulted in rescuing 2,700 children since 2003.

JFK assassination

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:37:00 +0000

JFK assassination, Peter Landesman had an ambitious task with his film Parkland -- finding a fresh look at the thoroughly examined assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The screenwriter and first-time director focused on the smaller players with vital but overlooked roles in the chaotic drama which played out on Nov. 22, 1963.

"This is a movie about the ground truth from the ground level," Landesman says about the film due out Sept. 20. "What surprised me was the power and poignancy of those who survived that day and the three that followed -- the heroism, the instincts and the pathos of those swept up in this tsunami. This is an event that happened to individuals."

After the motorcade shooting in Dallas' Dealey Plaza, Kennedy was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead despite desperate attempts to save his life. His assailant, Lee Harvey Oswald, died in the same hospital two days later after being shot in the stomach.

The unraveling and intertwining narrative stays away from prominent characters such as the Kennedys and instead explores the besieged hospital staff -- with Zac Efron playing the rookie doctor on duty and Marcia Gay Harden as the head nurse in the trauma room. The staff was told only that the president was on the way to the hospital, not of the terrible events which had transpired.

"No one was prepared for what was coming. They thought the president had the flu," says Landesman.

Paul Giamatti plays Abraham Zapruder, the accidental witness who happened to be filming the motorcade. "That 26 seconds of film changed his life and all of our lives forever," says Landesman. "It's the most examined and investigated piece of celluloid in the history of film."

Billy Bob Thornton portrays Forrest Sorrels, the head of Dallas' Secret Service office, who took the unstoppable crime personally.

"The Secret Service had never lost a man, and they lost their man," says Thornton. "He felt bound and determined to find out what happened immediately while he was going through the worst time in his life. He felt completely responsible."

Landesman was adamant about shooting key scenes in Dealey Plaza, even painstakingly reconstructing the open-topped stretch limousine in which Kennedy was riding with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The setting carried emotional weight for the actors and crew. Thornton, who recalls being sent home from school at age 8 after the assassination, said he had a surreal experience acting in a scene near the plaza.

"Paul (Giamatti) looks so much like Zapruder that it just all seemed very, very real," says Thornton. "You really forgot that you were making a movie for a moment."

Landesman says the film follows Oswald, played by "eerily accurate" Jeremy Strong, and his family. James Badge Dale is brother Robert and Jacki Weaver is mother Marguerite. But Parkland, which will be showcased in both the Toronto and Venice film festivals, does not address any of the conspiracies attached to Oswald's actions.

"That's not what this film is about. No one is putting together any kind of puzzle here. They're just surviving," says Landesman. "But the film will open up a new avenue of debate. And a healthy one."

Donovan McNabb retires as an Eagle

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 16:10:00 +0000

Donovan McNabb retires as an Eagle, Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb officially retired as an Eagle on Monday morning. McNabb held a press conference at the NovaCare Complex with team owner Jeffrey Lurie. Lurie took the podium first.

“I think I can talk about No. 5 all day, all morning, all night,” Lurie said, following a rollicking montage of McNabb’s greatest moments. “This is a very special moment for the Eagles franchise today,” Lurie continued. “We’re really honoring one of the greatest players in the history of the Eagles and certainly the greatest quarterback in the history of the Eagles.”

"Donovan McNabb was a franchise-changing quarterback for the Eagles and helped raise the bar of success for this franchise during his 11-year tenure with the team," said Lurie. "On the field, the numbers that Donovan posted during his time in an Eagles uniform speak for themselves. He is the franchise leader in nearly every major passing category and is the all-time winningest quarterback in Eagles history.

His unique ability to make plays through the air and with his legs made him one of the most dynamic players this city has ever seen. Donovan was the face and the focal point of so many of our great Eagles teams and he helped make this franchise a contender each and every year that he was here." Lurie also added that during the September 19th ceremony to honor McNabb, the Eagles will retire his No. 5 jersey.

"The number '5' has become synonymous with one of the greatest eras of Eagles football," added Lurie, "And ensuring that no one else will ever wear Donovan's number, we honor one of the greatest playmakers to ever wear an Eagles uniform." “There’s never been anyone tougher,” Lurie said. “Donovan was somebody a lot of us worked with for thousands of days, an all-time great person. I can’t tell you how important that is for a sports franchise.

Impeccable character, an amazing face of the franchise, and you just couldn’t be more proud.” "As a person, Donovan is also an all-time great," said Eagles President Don Smolenski. "He treated everyone in the organization with care and respect. We all shared so many great moments with him over the years and it is an honor to be able to recognize him with our fans on September 19th." "As a general manager, you are always on the lookout for a player like Donovan," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

"He was a guy who poured everything he had into becoming the best player that he could possibly be. You could count on Donovan to bring it, day-in and day-out, no matter what the circumstances were. "The game against Arizona in 2002, when he led us to a win despite playing with a broken ankle, is something I will never forget. He represented this franchise and this city with class," added Roseman. Brian Westbrook, McNabb’s friend since college, took the stage next, endlessly praising his former quarterback.

“It’s been a long time, five, and we’ve shared a lot of great memories; a lot of on the field memories definitely, and a lot of off the field memories. My part here is just to let you know that you’re one of my best friends around the game.” “So many times there’s a duo in sport, so many people play with another person – Jordan had Pippen. I had Donovan McNabb. I just want to thank you for that opportunity and allowing me to share a football field with you.” Next came Brian Dawkins, who had been up on the same stage not too long ago for a ceremony of his own. “I remember what [things were] like before Donovan got here.

And how when he got here, how quickly this thing went on the upswing.” Dawkins admitted when he’s working out at home, he’ll still throw in some of the old tapes of he and McNabb in action and “…watch while we put it down.” “I knew when I stepped onto the football field that I was gonna get 110 percent from my quarterback. Donovan was just going to go out and perform, to the best of his ability. Not every football player has that in him,” Dawkins said of McNabb’s playing on a broken ankle. “I just wanted to tell you, brother, it was a pleasure going to war with you. “ As Dawkins left the stage, he met McNabb on the way up and they hugged.

And then, McNabb slowly stepped to the podium, weighed down by emotion, pausing to adjust his collar, choking back tears. “I’m not one for emotion, but it’s pretty tough,” he admitted. “I want to thank Jeffrey Lurie, and the Eagles organization for this unbelievable honor. To be mentioned with the likes of [all the Eagles' retired numbers] who’ve paved the way for me and my former teammates and all the current players.” He thanked his parents, told his wife and kids he loved them.

“You’ve always been there with me through the good and the bad times… I know at times, you wanted to lash out at folks. I appreciate your passion and your love and your strength.” “It’s hard to put into words how I truly feel… I appreciate everything.. everything about each and everyone of you. This would not be possible without your efforts, sacrifices, passion and resolve. I appreciate you putting things behind when it came time for us to put it on the line. I had the opportunity to play with some great players in my time here.

Not only were they great athletes, but they were wonderful human beings.” “If there was any jealousy, disagreements, whatever we feel, we formed like Voltron when the time came.” One by one, he mentioned his offensive line, running backs and fullbacks, and finally, Andy Reid. “We’ll probably be linked forever. We made history, big fella.” McNabb closed with a message to the fans and current Eagles.

“Again, to everyone that’s here, everybody that’s watching, to all the fans, I truly love you. I gave everything I had when I stepped out on the field, I never complained." “To all the current players playing now: play with passion, play with heart, and trust the man next to you… because everything you set to accomplish, you got to do it together. “If you want to be great, make the man next to you greater.”