News World

Drake Back To Back

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 03:30:00 +0000

Drake is back on the mic with yet another response to Meek Mill's allegations that he uses ghostwriters. The rapper dropped his latest diss track, "Back To Back," Wednesday morning (July 29), after sharing the first, "Charged Up," last Saturday.

He comes for Meek with some pretty harsh verses, calling out the fact that he has yet to respond with bars of his own, and instead is using "trigger fingers turned to Twitter fingers." (Meek, though so far without a diss track of his own, has been very vocal about the beef on his timeline.) "You love her then you gotta get a world tour," Drake continues, alluding to Meek's current opening slot on girlfriend Nicki Minaj's tour. "Is that a world tour or your girl's tour?/ I know that you gotta be a thug for her/ This ain't what she meant when she told you to open up more."

The track's artwork is yet another (subtle) dig at the rapper, showing Toronto Blue Jay Joe Carter after hitting the 1993 World Series-winning home run over none other than the Philadelphia Phillies (Meek's home team).

Valerie Harper

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 03:25:00 +0000

Valerie Harper was taken to the hospital before a performance at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, on Wednesday night. The former Mary Tyler Moore Show actress expressed that she was “not feeling well,” and her hospital visit was a “precaution,” according to a release from the theater.

Actress Valerie Harper has been released from a Maine hospital Thursday after an overnight stay, Deadline.com reports.The Rhoda star, 75, was taken to York Hospital Wednesday evening before her performance of Nice Work If You Can Get It at the Ogunquit Playhouse.

In a statement obtained by the Associated Press Thursday, Bradford Kenney, the theater's executive artistic director, reported that the four-time Emmy winner was “resting comfortably,” adding that Harper was feeling better.Harper, best known for her work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff, Rhoda, is playing Millicent Winter in Nice Work, alongside Sally Struthers. The production is scheduled to run through Aug. 15.

The Ogunquit Fire Department responded to a call about an unconscious 75-year-old female at the theater, EW has confirmed. By the time they arrived, the patient had regained consciousness and was transported to York Hospital. The department was not able to reveal the name of that individual.According to the release, Harper is currently undergoing observation, but is “resting comfortably.”

“The audiences and all of us here at the Playhouse are greatly enjoying our time with Valerie here in Ogunquit, and we are encouraged that she is feeling better,” Bradford T. Kenney, Executive Artistic Director said in a statement.Harper was starring alongside Golden Globe nominee Sally Struthers as Millicent Winter in the musical production of Nice Work If You Can Get It, scheduled to run from July 22 to Aug. 15.

The actress was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer back in 2013 (she was previously diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009). She spoke with People earlier this year about her diagnosis, saying, “When I wake up in the morning I don’t say ‘Oh, I have cancer. I say ‘Another day. How you feeling? Good? Good.’ And when I do have little twinges of something I go ‘Oh my god, is that a headache? What is that?’ And I say wait a day or two, it might just be a headache and usually it is … so far.”

Mission Impossible

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 03:21:00 +0000

Watching Tom Cruise hurtle through the latest “Mission: Impossible,” taking one blow after another, you can’t help worrying that he won’t be able to keep this action stuff up. It looks so hard! But here he is, the 53-year-old Tom Terrific, holding onto a plane as it takes off, defying sense and gravity, and making you wonder (not for the first time) if he would actually die for our pleasure. By the time he’s flailing underwater without an oxygen tank, struggling against violent surges as breath and time run out, you can almost feel the life leaving his body.

Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation doesn’t have the nonsensical lyricism of Brad Bird’s stupendous Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, but it’s still pretty good. It works best when, like Ferguson, it plays things straight instead of (mis)using Simon Pegg’s Impossible Mission Team techie for broad comic relief and Ving Rhames for Lou Grant–like grumpiness. Dull as they usually were, the old poker-faced TV Mission: Impossible crew had dignity. They weren’t always blubbering, “I’m working on it! Hang on! Aaauuggghh!” when one of their thingamajigs jammed. The series is also becoming almost as huggy and self-congratulatory as the Fast and Furious films.

The plot of Rogue Nation has Ethan Hunt (Cruise) once again cast out of the fold, branded as a madman or worse by a CIA director, Hunley (Alec Baldwin), who wants to shut the Impossible Mission Force down on the grounds that it operates without transparency or oversight. There are so many layers of irony here (the CIA whining about lack of oversight, the casting of ultraliberal Baldwin) that Hunley’s congressional debate with IMF coordinator Brandt (Jeremy Renner in the action-movie equivalent of a desk job) ought to be more fun than it is.

Ethan’s crime is arguing that there’s an anti-IMF at large, a “rogue nation” called “the Syndicate” that’s ... doing a lot of bad things. This makes Hunley so angry that he puts much of the CIA’s resources into catching Ethan — while various members of his former team chuckle to themselves that no army could catch Ethan Hunt; he’s that smart, cunning, dexterous, muscular, sexually potent, etc. The script is by director Christopher McQuarrie, whose characters voiced similar sentiments about Cruise’s hero in the pair’s last collaboration, Jack Reacher.

A new strain of highbrow fanboy is lately making a case for McQuarrie as an unsung action auteur. Would it were so. He doesn’t have the visual panache to pull off the slapstick-derring-do prologue in which Cruise hangs from an escaping terrorist plane while his hysterical team tries to get the door open for him. An early, subterranean martial-arts clash is edited for maximum chop. A triple-assassin shoot-out with fisticuffs in a Vienna opera house has one or two good moments, but McQuarrie wants so nakedly for it to be a Brian De Palma–style spatial-temporal tour de force that its semi-coherence is an embarrassment.

On the other hand, he delivers a corker of a high-speed motorcycle chase — the road-level camerawork rattles you down to your joints. A climactic knife fight between Ferguson and a burly villain known as the “Bone Doctor” works like gangbusters: It doesn’t have too many variables and it isn’t broken up by one-liners.

As the icily malignant leader of “the Syndicate,” the twisty-faced Sean Harris is like a medieval demon with thick glasses. He and Hunt have a splendid climactic stare-down — elegantly staged and surprising. And McQuarrie has one foolproof weapon: Lalo Schifrin’s original TV theme, blasted so triumphantly whenever Cruise and Company do something right that it’s like the action-movie equivalent of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”

Canelo vs Kirkland

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 May 2015 12:30:00 +0000

The Houston Astros' Jed Lowrie or Jose Altuve will not connect with a baseball harder than Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO) hit James "The Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland (32-2) on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

Boxing fans who were displeased with Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s win over Manny Pacquiao last week got the all-out brawl they hoped to see in Houston. Canelo savagely knocked out Kirkland in the third round of a Texas back-alley brawl.

Kirkland came to fight from the opening bell. He seemed to land a hard right hand in the first round that may have stunned Canelo. The latter took some time to collect himself and then began to counter Kirkland's wild advances.

While he was ferocious, Kirkland was also defenseless. He left himself open for tons of counter shots, and Canelo capitalized on every opportunity. He floored Kirkland in the first round with a counter right that sent his opponent tumbling into the ropes.

Kirkland would rise to his feet, but he looked wobbly the rest of the round. Somehow he escaped, but he didn't seem to have regained his wherewithal even in the second frame. Canelo looked to conserve some energy in respect of his opponent's iron will, but he had to know it was just a matter of time before he took Kirkland out.

In the third and decisive round, Kirkland regained some of his pep and went back on the offensive. His moderate flurry would be short-lived. An uppercut dropped the hard-charging Texan to his knees. He quickly picked up referee Jon Schorle's count and got to his feet at seven.

Canelo would go in for the kill from there. With one of the most well-orchestrated knockout punches you'll ever see, Canelo feinted to the body with the jab and came over the top with a powerful right hand that caught Kirkland flush on the jaw.

Both fights would be extremely interesting, but one thing is for sure: Cotto and Golovkin ain't Kirkland. With all due respect to The Mandingo Warrior's toughness, he couldn't dodge a parked car. It's hard to determine if he has a chin because he simply allows opponents to have at his beard at will.

He's a brawler custom-made for a skilled and hard puncher like Canelo. To his credit, the 24-year-old Mexican superstar did exactly what he was supposed to do.

While Canelo's career options are wide-open, it's hard to imagine where Kirkland goes from here.

He'll get some pats on the back for his toughness and heart, but the fact of the matter is knockout losses like the one he suffered Saturday take years off fighters' career and possibly their lives. There seems little doubt he'll be back in the ring at some point, but his ceiling has been clearly defined by this loss, if not lowered.

Without Celebrating Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 May 2015 12:16:00 +0000

Although challenging, motherhood has been a wonderful and profound experience. Being a mother has brought joy into my life that I can’t really explain. But, as mentioned above, this article is about Mother’s Day.

I find little joy in Mother’s Day, and I think many moms feel the same way. If you polled a room of women it would surprise people how many females believe that this holiday comes with flowers, cards and a truckload of guilt. Here's why:

A reminder of what she is not

Facebook posts, Twitter feeds and media outlets all share stories of wonderful and extraordinary mothers. But for the rest of us, it can be a painful reminder of things we lack; how sometimes our babies go two or three days without a bath; or how we let our toddler occasionally sip out of our soda cup when they start having a meltdown in the grocery store. It can be a reminder of when we regrettably lost it, having our own mom meltdown, after a young child pooped, barfed or destroyed something in our home. Right or wrong, Mother’s Day can make women feel like they can’t measure up to the “perfect” mother they desire to be.

Her unfulfilled desire to be a mother

For the majority of my 20s, I was single and childless. Mother’s Day was often a day I was reminded of the fact that I was not a mother. By the time I had married, and my husband and I tried to start a family, it took us almost a year to conceive a child, due to some minor but prolonging health issues I had. Almost weekly, I got questions from well-intentioned friends and acquaintances to why we hadn’t had a child yet. Someone even said that she heard a rumor at church that I didn’t want to have children because I was so career-driven (I had been working professionally for almost nine years at that point in my life). Little did these people know the reality of the situation.

I can only imagine the pain that other people who have been trying to have children for years feel on a Mother’s Day a day full of reminders about children and mothers and the significance in of itself, of being a mother.

A less-than-ideal relationship with her mother

Both men and women may not have had a great mother, or even an involved mother, in their lives. Perhaps they had a falling out with their mother in recent years. Although, I personally can’t relate to this (as please read my indulgent Facebook posts on Mother’s Day about my own mom and mother-in-law), I have friends say that, to them, Mother’s Day can be a hard day because they don’t have an ideal mother.

She no longer has a mother

I had a friend whose mother passed away very unexpectedly and tragically when she was attending college. That first Mother’s Day without her mom was especially painful. Constantly being reminded through Hallmark commercials and grocery stores pushing flowers and candy Mother’s Day, for my friend, was just a day she had to do her best to get through.

I know many other women, regardless of their age, who don’t have living mothers. This can make Mother's Day a day that is reflective, but also hard to get through because they simply miss their moms.

Mother's Day just a day

Whether you are a fan of Mother’s Day or not, here is the thing women must remember Mother’s Day is just a day. It is not a defining moment, nor should the amount of praise or adoration, or amount of gifts one receives equate to the quality of a woman you are and that is true for any day of the year.

Mother’s Day wasn’t created to make women feel bad about themselves or their situations, although sometimes we can’t help how we feel. Women must remember that instead of feeling bad or sad on Mother’s Day, they must focus on the most important aspect that sometimes gets overlooked on this day: the love that mothers have for others, and the love that others feel for them, perfect mother or not.

Clippers-Rockets Game

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 May 2015 04:57:00 +0000

The Clippers demonstrated one round ago their ability to stay even-keeled during the highs and lows of the postseason.

They dealt with a 27-point loss only to return a game later and win in San Antonio. They followed that win with a loss at home, only to go back to San Antonio and steal another victory. As the Clippers return home for Friday’s game in a 1-1 series, that first-round experience is something they want to draw on.

“This is playoff basketball,” said Blake Griffin. “The ups and the downs, it’s what we always talk about. If we learned anything from last series, it’s that one game doesn’t have as big an effect on a series as everyone makes it out to be.”

The Clippers felt like they let one slip away, getting out to a double-digit lead in Houston before the Rockets stormed back in the second half to even the series. But as much as they wanted to come home with a 2-0 lead, the Clippers still managed to do what most road teams hope for by stealing home court advantage.

They also managed to do it without their star point guard, Chris Paul (hamstring), who missed the first two games of the series and whose status is still in question for Game 3.

“We believe in ourselves,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We really do. I like this team, they like each other and we compete. You add all those ingredients, you get over wins quickly…and you get over losses pretty quickly as well.”

LAST TIME OUT

Rockets 115, Clippers 109 – The Clippers’ 32 free throw attempts were their third most in a game this postseason, and the Rockets still found a way to shoot twice as many free throws as the Clippers, as Houston went on to even the series. The Rockets’ 64 free throw attempts were the most for any playoff team in a game since 1993, and James Harden took advantage by going 15-for-15 from the line and scoring 32 points. The Rockets had no answer in the first half for Blake Griffin, who finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds.

NOTEWORTHY MATCHUP

Blake Griffin vs. Rockets’ Interior Defenders – The Rockets had no answer for Griffin in the first half Wednesday. He had 26 points by halftime on 11-of-14 shooting, doing basically whatever he wanted offensively and leaving Houston searching for answers. Then the Rockets switched it up. They fronted him with a man and provided help behind him, which Rivers said led to the Clippers forcing it to Griffin instead of moving the ball. Now it’s on the Clippers to adjust. Whatever they do, Griffin, who’s fourth in points, second in rebounds and fifth in assists among players still in the playoffs, will still be a load to deal with for the Rockets.

TWO THINGS TO WATCH

Fouls – The Clippers hadn’t allowed a team to shoot more than 46 free throw attempts in a game all season. Then came Game 2 of this series, when the Rockets shot 64. It changed the momentum of the game, and perhaps the series, as it allowed them to chip away at the Clippers’ lead in the game and eventually take it.

The Rockets and Clippers were both in the top five in the NBA during the regular season in free throw attempts per game, and both teams are getting to the line more often than any two teams in the playoffs. But Houston’s shooting nearly 10 more free throws per game than any other team in the postseason, and while the “Hack-A-“ strategy contributed to some of those free throws in Game 2, Rivers knows his group has to stop allowing the Rockets’ dribble penetration leading to the trips to the line. “They were the aggressors all night, and they got rewarded with going to the free-throw line,” Rivers said. “So that was on us.”

Ball Movement – The Clippers rolled into the second half of Game 2 with 65 points, 14 assists and a nine-point lead. Then the ball stopped moving. The Clippers had just six assists in the second half while scoring just three more points in the third and fourth quarters combined than they had in the second quarter. The Clippers averaged the third-most assists per game during the regular season, and this marked just the third time this postseason they dished out 20 assists or fewer. It’s uncharacteristic for the Clippers’ ball movement to be poor, and they know that’ll have to change to get back on track.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Jamal Crawford: “They played with more thrust and were in a do or die situation. It was a desperate situation and the crawled back and you can tip your hat to them and we’ll get ready for game three.”

Blake Griffin: “We didn’t execute there in the second half. I thought we were great in the first half, well in the second quarter, I guess. This team is going to fight no matter who is on the floor. I think that we even saw that this year too.”

Austin Rivers: “The last three or four minutes we were in desperation mode and through that we started attacking the basket, making plays, getting shots and suddenly came back. When we play like that, no one can beat us. We have to get back to playing like that and like in Game 1.”

Players Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 May 2015 04:48:00 +0000

The 2015 Players Championship caused even some of the world's best golfers to stumble in the opening round, and Friday should offer plenty of compelling storylines to follow as the weekend cut line is determined.

Rising young star Hideki Matsuyama headlines the leaderboard after a five-under 67. Kevin Na, David Hearn and Charley Hoffman matched Matsuyama's score, but it's a jumbled list of contenders toward the top.

The start of the opening round on Thursday at The Players Championship, all the hype focused on the return of Tiger Woods and the power pairing of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. Those three big names, especially the two young guns at 1-2 in the world rankings, correctly made this one of the more anticipated Players. But by Thursday night, it was only world No. 1 Rory anywhere near the top of the leaderboard.

They're all chasing Hideki Matsuyama, David Hearn, Kevin Na and Charley Hoffman, who posted 5-under rounds of 67. While Spieth and Rory get all the pub, Matsuyama is another young player that could pile up PGA Tour wins for the next couple decades. The 23-year-old phenom from Japan is probably a better ball striker than both McIlroy and Spieth, and has been on the first page of the leaderboard at majors several times in his early 20s.

Matsuyama is expected to push those two almost as much as they push each other -- the talent is overwhelming, he just needs to putt at a slightly above average, or even average level. He loses so many strokes up on the green green, but his tee-to-green game is so good that he's one of the top ranked golfers in the world. Thursday's round is the kind of number he's capable of posting regularly, and he often has over the past year on tour. A bogey five on the first hole was his only blemish on the card. Expect Matsuyama to hang around the top of the board through the weekend.

Tiger never really could get his round in order and capped it with a double-bogey on the 18th to drop to 1-over. It was the exact same finish that Phil Mickelson posted just a group ahead. Both put drives in the immense lake that lines the entire left side of the fairway, and so they'll go to bed with that final double bogey on their mind. Woods hit several wild tee balls to start his round, but held it together with the usual recoveries and kept his round at a respectable number. The 1-over 73 wasn't too bad given the shots we saw and the grind it appeared to be out there, but he told Golf Channel afterwards that he thought it was the highest number he could have posted given the way he played. After that finishing double, Phil probably feels the same way.

Some highlights and a full account of Tiger's opening round.

Tiger may have been the headline player but the headline group was the McIlroy-Spieth-Jason Day tee time in the morning. After going 58 holes last year at this event without dropping a shot, Spieth started his round bogey-bogey and never seemed in it. He's been the hottest putter in the world over the last seven months, but he got nothing to drop on Thursday. That work on the green, combined with some sloppy short game shots, resulted in his highest score of the season -- a 3-over 75. While Spieth scuffled from start to finish, McIlroy cruised through Sawgrass with a clean card. An 8-iron from 203 yards! set up a short eagle putt that highlighted his round. Spieth was supposed to be the guy who didn't fluctuate with bogeys and birdies dotted throughout his card on this unforgiving Pete Dye course. But McIlroy's round was the one with 14 pars and he's just two shots off the lead.

Place	Player	Score	Round 1
T1	Hideki Matsuyama	-5	67
T1	David Hearn	-5	67
T1	Charley Hoffman	-5	67
T1	Kevin Na	-5	67
T5	Troy Merritt	-4	68
T5	Ben Martin	-4	68
T5	Billy Horschel	-4	68
T5	Brendon Todd	-4	68
T5	Charles Howell III	-4	68
T5	Derek Fathauer	-4	68
T11	Jeff Overton	-3	69
T11	Cameron Tringale	-3	69
T11	Marc Leishman	-3	69
T11	Webb Simpson	-3	69
T11	Rickie Fowler	-3	69
T11	Steve Stricker	-3	69
T11	Jason Day	-3	69
T11	Rory McIlroy	-3	69
T11	Ricky Barnes	-3	69
T11	Jason Kokrak	-3	69
T11	Alex Cejka	-3	69
T11	Brandt Snedeker	-3	69
T11	Sergio Garcia	-3	69
T11	Martin Kaymer	-3	69
T25	Freddie Jacobson	-2	70
T25	Rory Sabbatini	-2	70
T25	Chris Kirk	-2	70
T25	James Hahn	-2	70
T25	Bo Van Pelt	-2	70
T25	Spencer Levin	-2	70
T25	Jamie Donaldson	-2	70
T25	Chris Stroud	-2	70
T25	Louis Oosthuizen	-2	70
T25	Russell Henley	-2	70
T25	Robert Streb	-2	70
T25	J.B. Holmes	-2	70
T25	Jim Furyk	-2	70
T25	K.J. Choi	-2	70
T25	Robert Allenby	-2	70
T40	Padraig Harrington	-1	71
T40	Scott Stallings	-1	71
T40	Chesson Hadley	-1	71
T40	Jimmy Walker	-1	71
T40	Bubba Watson	-1	71
T40	Ian Poulter	-1	71
T40	Ben Crane	-1	71
T40	Jason Bohn	-1	71
T40	Joost Luiten	-1	71
T40	Ryo Ishikawa	-1	71
T40	Jerry Kelly	-1	71
T40	Pat Perez	-1	71
T40	Branden Grace	-1	71
T40	Andrew Svoboda	-1	71
T40	Zach Johnson	-1	71
T40	Justin Rose	-1	71
T40	Vijay Singh	-1	71
T40	Charl Schwartzel	-1	71
T40	Brian Harman	-1	71
T40	Daniel Berger	-1	71
T60	Bryce Molder	E	72
T60	Andres Romero	E	72
T60	Michael Putnam	E	72
T60	Nick Taylor	E	72
T60	Patrick Reed	E	72
T60	Scott Brown	E	72
T60	Russell Knox	E	72
T60	Scott Langley	E	72
T60	Sang-Moon Bae	E	72
T60	Geoff Ogilvy	E	72
T60	Hunter Mahan	E	72
T60	Bill Haas	E	72
T60	Dustin Johnson	E	72
T60	Henrik Stenson	E	72
T60	Adam Scott	E	72
T60	Danny Willett	E	72
T60	Stephen Gallacher	E	72
T77	Justin Thomas	1	73
T77	Graeme McDowell	1	73
T77	Michael Thompson	1	73
T77	Ernie Els	1	73
T77	Scott Piercy	1	73
T77	Boo Weekley	1	73
T77	John Senden	1	73
T77	Matt Kuchar	1	73
T77	David Toms	1	73
T77	Seung-yul Noh	1	73
T77	Bernhard Langer	1	73
T77	Shane Lowry	1	73
T77	Kevin Kisner	1	73
T77	George McNeill	1	73
T77	Danny Lee	1	73
T77	Brendon de Jonge	1	73
T77	Ryan Moore	1	73
T77	Justin Leonard	1	73
T77	Jason Dufner	1	73
T77	Phil Mickelson	1	73
T77	Tiger Woods	1	73
T77	Tim Wilkinson	1	73
T77	Thongchai Jaidee	1	73
T77	Brendan Steele	1	73
T77	Martin Flores	1	73
T102	Gonzalo Fdez-Castano	2	74
T102	Brian Stuard	2	74
T102	Billy Hurley III	2	74
T102	Luke Guthrie	2	74
T102	Matt Every	2	74
T102	John Huh	2	74
T102	Erik Compton	2	74
T109	Jhonattan Vegas	3	75
T109	Daniel Summerhays	3	75
T109	Angel Cabrera	3	75
T109	Harris English	3	75
T109	Jordan Spieth	3	75
T109	Will MacKenzie	3	75
T109	Adam Hadwin	3	75
T109	William McGirt	3	75
T109	Robert Garrigus	3	75
T109	Matt Jones	3	75
T109	Kevin Streelman	3	75
T109	Brian Davis	3	75
T109	Graham DeLaet	3	75
T122	Brice Garnett	4	76
T122	Anirban Lahiri	4	76
T122	Morgan Hoffmann	4	76
T122	Lee Westwood	4	76
T122	Stewart Cink	4	76
T122	Sean O'Hair	4	76
T128	Shawn Stefani	5	77
T128	Carl Pettersson	5	77
T128	Ryan Palmer	5	77
T128	Jonas Blixt	5	77
T128	Keegan Bradley	5	77
T128	Luke Donald	5	77
T128	Steven Bowditch	5	77
T128	Kevin Chappell	5	77
T128	Bernd Wiesberger	5	77
T137	Aaron Baddeley	6	78
T137	Camilo Villegas	6	78
T137	Nick Watney	6	78
T137	Brooks Koepka	6	78
T137	Retief Goosen	6	78
T142	Gary Woodland	7	79
T142	Paul Casey	7	79
WD	Darren Clarke	10	WD

Rangers’ mentality to solve scoring woes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 May 2015 04:39:00 +0000

It’s probably the hardest thing to do in sports — turn off the conscious mind and just relax.
Well, that’s the plan now, with the Rangers having absolutely worked their tails off through the first four games of the second-round playoff series against the Capitals and trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven contest, with the summer staring them in the face with Friday night’s Game 5 at the Garden.

“We’ve been talking about it all series long — do more, do more; try harder, try harder,” alternate captain Derek Stepan said Thursday on a conference call. “Maybe it’s just relaxing a little bit and letting the game come and be instinctive. I really don’t know. I can’t give you a 100 percent answer. We just have to find a way to score some goals.”

It’s a confounding situation the Blueshirts are in, having created scoring opportunities, created offensive-zone time, forced Washington turnovers — yet they still can’t put the puck past goalie Braden Holtby with any regularity. The lone goal in the 2-1 Game 4 loss on Wednesday in Washington came from Derick Brassard, the only Ranger to score over the past eight periods, a sum total of two goals over 164:20 of game time.

“At this point,” Stepan said, “it comes down to we have to find a way to score some goals.”

It’s not a problem the Rangers really had too much this season, finishing up their 82-game schedule ranked third in the league in goals per game with 3.02. Through nine games of the postseason, they’re averaging 1.78, the worst of any team still playing (and better only than their first-round opponent, the Penguins, of the 16 teams that made the tournament).

But that paints the regular season with one broad stroke, creating a rosy hue for something much more nuanced, which had its share of ups and downs, as well. But the Rangers always found a way to bounce back and break out of slumps. They have the Presidents’ Trophy to prove it.

“There are times in the regular season, as well, when we felt frustrated, and we figured those times out,” said Dominic Moore, elevated from his fourth-line role in Game 4 to a more offensive unit with Carl Hagelin and Kevin Hayes. “In a way, that’s something that we can take stock in. There are always times when you’re going through periods of frustration, and you just figure it out.

“Sometimes it’s one thing that can turn it around,” Moore continued, “but I think that one of things that we can take heart in right now is we know that we can find another level and we can find our way through frustration, because we’ve done it before. That’s a positive way of looking at it.”

Another positive way of looking at it is the Rangers really can’t be too upset with their overall game. It’s that old cliche of doing the right thing and believing the results will follow, but that belief is all the Rangers have at this point.

“Our team is playing well,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “I could simplify it as easy as: They’ve made us pay for a couple of our mistakes, a couple of turnovers, and we haven’t been able to do the same. This is a game of mistakes, and you have to be able to score some goals.

“As much as I think our game is good, at the end of the day, we’re down, 3-1, and we’ve got to find a way to get it better.”

The Rangers have been here before, down 3-1 to the Penguins in the second round last season. But that was a different Rangers team, rallying around the emotional death of Martin St. Louis’ mother, France, and the Capitals are quite a bit better than that Pittsburgh squad.So it’s going to take a big-time effort from the Blueshirts to force Game 6 in Washington on Sunday and keep this season from ending in disappointment. With their backs against the wall, the only option left is to leave it all on the ice.

“I think we have to go into [Game 5] and just play,” Stepan said. “That’s something that we have to make a focus for ourselves. Not worry about where the series is at. We just have to make sure we put an effort on the ice to give us the best chance to get to Game 6.”

Nike Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 11:33:00 +0000

Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services.Nike men’s shoes are designed for top performance, whatever your sport. From running and basketball to training and casual styles, Nike has you covered. Browse men’s shoes by style, technology or sport, and check out new releases for the latest styles.

Nike Men's Free 5.0 Black/White/Anthracite Running Shoe 9.5 Men US

The Nike Free 5.0 Men's Running Shoe is made with Flywire cables that wrap the foot and adapt to your stride. Deep hexagonal flex grooves in the Nike Free midsole provide natural flexibility with every step.

synthetic-and-mesh
rubber sole
Flywire technology for ultra-lightweight support
Nike Free Phylite midsole doubles as an outsole for lightweight cushioning, durability and reduced weight
Deep hexagonal flex grooves for a natural, barefoot-like ride
No-sew overlays throughout provide support and durability without added weight

Nike Mens Rosherun Running Shoes Wolf Grey/White 511881-023 Size 10

The Nike Roshe Run Men's Casual Shoes are versatile enough to be worn on your next run and as your favorite everyday casual shoes. Lightweight running performance and a trendy aesthetic combine in the Nike Roshe Run Men's Casual Shoes. A new twist on the full mesh Roshe Run Shoes that were released in early 2012, the new model showcases a unique upper for a stylish look that stands out from the crowd.

mesh
Made in USA
Phylon cushioning
Lightweight EVA foam with waffle treads

Nike Men's Downshifter 6 Black/White/Dk Magnet Grey Running Shoe 10 Men US

These men's Nike Downshifter 6 running shoes are great for the runner who's looking for a daily trainer that provides a great combination of cushioning and breathability.

mesh

rubber sole

No-sew design & manmade overlays create a custom fit

Deep flex grooves promote a natural stride

Men's Nike Free Trainer 5.0 Training Shoe White/Volt/Black Size 13 M US

Support your workout with one of Nike's most agile training shoes, the Nike Free Trainer 5.0.

mesh
rubber sole
Criss-crossing nanopoly bands across the forefoot
Dual-density mid-sole and Nike Free flex grooves
DiamonFlex outsole for multi-directional movement

Nike Men's Free 5.0+ Dk Armry Bl/Blk/Gamma Blue/Smmt Wh Running Shoes 10 Men US

The Nike Free 5.0+ Women's Running Shoe provides the foot strengthening benefits of natural motion, along with the cushioning, traction and underfoot protection of a traditional shoe.

synthetic-and-mesh
rubber sole
Textured mesh full inner sleeve for a dynamic, sock-like fit and easy on and off
Asymmetrical lacing system for reduced pressure on the top ridge of the foot
Diagonal cuts through the arch to encourage natural motion and help increase foot strength

Maya Plisetskaya

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 11:01:00 +0000

Russia - Maya Plisetskaya Mikhaylovna WAS A Soviet and Russian Ballet dancer, Choreographer, Director Ballet, and actress, and is Considered One of the Greatest Ballerinas of the 20th century.

Maya Plisetskaya Died

In Munich, a 90-year life died Maya Plisetskaya, the great Russian ballerina.

Name Maya Plisetskaya became legendary in his lifetime. For the first time at the Bolshoi Theatre she appeared in the mid-40s, when still at the zenith of fame were Galina Ulanova and Marina Semenova.

Plisetskaya once occupied a place of honor among the first Soviet Etoile main stage.

It seems she did not have a period of apprenticeship. She came on the scene and almost immediately was crowned with laurels and every imaginable noisy recognition.Plisetskaya was not only one of the brightest stars of Soviet ballet, but also one of the most renowned. By the end of the career she has collected all the ballet prizes and all state regalia: People's Artist of USSR, laureate of the Lenin Prize, Hero of Socialist Labor, and so on and so forth.

But there was another tragic side of the biography of Maya Plisetskaya.

In 1938 he was arrested and then shot her father, a prominent Soviet economic manager, and her mother, silent film actress Rachel Messerer was convicted and sent to the camp, and then into exile. A trip to the exiled mother Chekment city - one of the eloquent Maya Plisetskaya memories of her acclaimed autobiography.With the ease of owning a classic repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater, and having the success that was not equal, Plisetskaya whole life looking for new forms and new roles. Odette-Odile, Aurora, Raymond and other textbook in her party were eventually boring.

She built her repertoire, which at the Bolshoi Theater to it, it seems, no one could afford.
Her husband, composer Rodion Shchedrin, Plisetskaya wrote specifically for ballet based on "Anna Karenina," "The Seagull," "The Lady with the Dog", who for many years occupied a place of honor in Moscow poster.Plisetskaya outstanding achievement was the role of Carmen in again for her written Shchedrin and staged by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso's ballet "Carmen Suite" based on Bizet's opera.

A special page in the history of modern culture - Maya Plisetskaya cooperation with the French choreographer Maurice Bejart. Together they made such vivid performances, as "Isadora," "Spectre de la Rose," "Ave Maya".Plisetskaya dedicated poems Andrei Voznesensky, Sergei Paradjanov immortalized its image in his collages, the great French fashion designer Pierre Cardin made the costumes for her performances and dedicated to her some of his collections.

Maya Plisetskaya performed in large batches for about 30 years longer than is customary in ballet. And the audience, of course, would have been glad to see her on stage ever. Fatal heart attack caught Plisetskaya in preparation for the anniversary celebrations, to be held in Moscow in late fall of this year.

Hofreiter calls for GDL strike out for bargaining unit law

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 10:52:00 +0000

Germany - 09.32 Clock: The leader of the Greens parliamentary group, Anton Hofreiter, calls the from the proposed bargaining unit, the law in the light of new strikes on the railways. The government should withdraw the draft law, "wegzukriegen to this reinforced competition of the union," said the radio station Hofreiter NDR Info. In labor dispute at Deutsche Bahn, it is also important that the GDL and the EDC intends to conclude collective agreements for each employee in the same areas of responsibility. Hofreiter said, "the appearance of the GDL, in particular its chairman, is often totally inept". The consequences of the strikes were uncomfortable. However, if the right to strike will be made dependent on the consequences of the strikes for others, "then it is quickly complicated". The policy is called "perform an arbitrator and not exacerbating". The federal government should sign "moderating" to speak.

German Civil Service Association recommends GDL to an arbitration

07.28 Clock: Given the new strike by train drivers union GDL in this week, making the chair of the relevant umbrella organization German Civil Service Federation (DBB) strongly for mediation. "If this strike does not lead to a result of the negotiations, it will be useful to have recourse to an independent third party," said DDB boss Klaus Dauderstädt the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" (Monday edition). The GDL is a member of the DBB.Before the train had indicated that it had asked the German train drivers union (GDL) to arbitration. "So far, the GDL has not received it," it said, according to "SZ".

SPD leader does not understand Weselsky

06.19 Clock: The new strike notice the train drivers' union GDL encounters in the grand coalition to sharp criticism. "The wage dispute at the railway is for outsiders barely understand," said SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) of the "Bild" newspaper. The period beginning on Monday walkout by train drivers will "take total heavy commuters and travelers, as well as the German Railway and the entire German economy."

All stakeholders would wonder if the damage caused by the strike still "in a reasonable relationship to the actual dispute" stand, said the Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economics. "Paralyze Germany Instead, we need serious negotiations," urged Gabriel.

The deputy chairman of the CDU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Michael Fuchs (CDU), told the paper that GDL will "at a risk for the business location Germany". The economic damages of the strike were "enormous", a halt in the cargo area leads after a few days "to millions of expensive production losses".

Replacement schedule for Berlin S-Bahn

Monday, 20.05 clock: The Berlin S-Bahn has submitted a replacement schedule early Monday morning. He shall apply for the announced strike of train drivers' union GDL from Tuesday morning to strikers on Sunday morning, said the S-Bahn Berlin GmbH. As with the previous strikes the circle line will be shut down, because there are good alternatives to subways, buses and trams here. In addition, S75, S8 and S85 do not drive the S25, the S47. The S7 uses only the portion between Marzahn and the Alexanderplatz, the S5 travels only between Strausberg and Alexanderplatz. On all traffic lines a 20-minute intervals applies.

Mayweather vs Pacquiao, the match of the century won by Floyd

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 10:30:00 +0000

The boxer, who has a score of 48 out of 48 matches won, largely defeated his opponent in the opinion of all the three judges of the fight. Twelve shots in the ring of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Victory on points for Floyd Mayweather Jr. who beat Manny Pacquiao . Were twelve shots in the ring of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in what had been called the " match of the century "for the world title welterweight . Floyd Mayweather Jr., who remains unbeaten with a score of 48 out of 48 matches won , largely beat his opponent in the opinion of all the three judges of the fight. For this meeting Mayweather got $ 120 million and $ 80 million Pacquiao.

The match was one of the richest of all time with regard to turnover multilionario from TV rights , sponsors and engagements of the two boxers . Just think that a place at ringside the MGM Grand Garden, which holds 16,800 spectators, it cost 10 thousand dollars cheaper while the coupons were paid $ 1,500.

Record also the championship belt created for the occasion with 3,000 emeralds to make it even more valuable comparison between those who are currently considered the two strongest boxers 'pound for pound'. "We talked so much about this match that people are willing to pay any price to see it," he told Reuters Oscar De La Hoya one of the few boxers to have fought with both boxers.

Teachers strike May 5, 2015 in Italian cities

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 10:15:00 +0000

Teachers strike May 5, 2015: routes, timetables and squares in different Italian cities

All set to the general strike of teachers on 5 May 2015, here are the paths and squares of the protest.

The school prepares the general strike on May 5, 2015 , a protest involving teachers, trade unions and students and will be held in major Italian cities with established tracks. Here is a series of useful information for those wishing to participate in the demonstrations against the Good School of Government Renzi .

Paths and squares of the strike School May 5, 2015

All set to the general strike of the school , even the routes and meeting places for the demonstrations have been established and made public for those who wish to participate in the protest against the Good School Renzi. Not only teachers and professors, as well as trade unions, students and parents, all the streets in major Italian cities. It is not easy to organize events of this lead and is also why the FLC CGIL has published on its website a series of information about routes and meeting places with a lot of map city by city.

Milan : the meeting place is fixed Republic Square. The march will mobilize at 10.00 / 15.10 to get to the Arch of Peace

Palermo : the demonstrators will meet at 09.00 am in Piazza Marina to get to Piazza Verdi

Rome : The march will start from Piazza della Repubblica to get to Piazza del Popolo where you can attend to different interventions on stage specially dedicated

Aosta : the meeting was set at 09.30 in Piazza Chanoux

Bari : teachers will meet in Piazza Castello at 09.00 to get to Piazza Prefecture

Catania : Catania also in the procession will move starting from 09.00 from Europe Square to reach Piazza Roma

Cagliari : Teachers will move from Piazza Giovanni XXIII starting at 09:30 to arrive in Piazza del Carmina

As stated previously, all relevant information is available on the official website of the FLC CGIL. If you are interested in the school and you want to stay current, I invite you to click the "Follow" to receive the latest news.

MotoGp, Spain: Lorenzo triumphs in front of Marquez and Rossi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 06:46:00 +0000

After the race at Jerez de la Frontera, the ranking always sees MotoGP Valentino Rossi in the lead with 82 points, followed by Andrea Dovizioso with 67 points

Jorge Lorenzo won the Spanish Grand Prix, the fourth round of the World MotoGP class. On the track "home" of Jerez Spanish Yamaha, who started from pole, preceded compatriot and world champion Marc Marquez in charge of Honda and the other Yamaha's Valentino Rossi. Sixth place went to Andrea Iannone on the Ducati. The already twice MotoGP world champion (2010/2012) has conquered the 55th success, the 34th in MotoGP. "I enjoy this victory." Are the first words of Jorge Lorenzo after the triumph in the Spanish Grand Prix, the fourth round of the World MotoGP class.

"A difficult race"
"It 'was a very difficult race with these conditions," admits the Spaniard's Yamaha. "I had a good pace at the beginning, I felt good on the bike. This weekend it was perfect, I went well and I was fast in every sector. And so - I said Lorenzo - I managed to win this special race in a long time. " Satisfied, despite the third place, even Valentino Rossi: "This is 200 podiums, not bad ...". The Yamaha rider admitted: "I lost time at the start and never managed to get me in on Marquez, although in some places I was faster than I; but third place is fine. "

I (vain) attempts to stop Lorenzo

Lorenzo got away well from pole position, he never left the lead, even in the first meters of the race, when he was threatened by Marquez and Rossi. The pilot of Palma de Mallorca has gradually increased its lead as the laps went by, never to look back where the world champion in office has managed the Italian, despite the pain in his left hand, made just a week ago. The third place of Valentino Rossi is 200 / or podium for the nine-time world champion in his career. Behind the top three they have closed the fourth race of the season English Cal Crutchlow (Honda), Pol Espargaro (Yamaha) and Andrea Iannone (Ducati). The pilot of Vasto, who started on the front row, failed to take advantage, being sucked into the group, and remained there until the end. A mistake under braking, then ruined the race Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) who finished ninth after a recovery from the last position. Closes in the twelfth position ternano Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) and Marco Melandri (Aprilia) and Alex de Angelis (Aprilia ART) finished the GP of Spain respectively in 19 / a and 21 / a location.

The Ranking

After the race at Jerez de la Frontera, the ranking always sees MotoGP Valentino Rossi in the lead with 82 points, followed by Andrea Dovizioso with 67 points. Third is the winner of the day, Jorge Lorenzo with 62 points, while Marc Marquez was fourth at 56 points, but followed closely by Andrea Iannone with 50 points.

Lisa Lynch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 06:31:00 +0000

Sheridan Smith stars in The C-Word on BBC1 and it's based on the true life story about newly-married Lisa Lynch who is diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28.Lisa Lynch, magazine editor from the Midlands who had just married her boyfriend Pete, was 28 -years-old when found out she had breast cancer. In her outrage and disbelief, she wrote a blog, Alright Tit, about her experience of the disease. The blog found a massive following and was adapted into a book, which the BBC has made into a 90-minute film. The blogger and author was also involved in choosing Sheridan Smith to play her shortly before she died in 2013 aged just 33.

Here are two extracts from Lynch's ballsy, frank and moving book, The C-Word:

"I don’t want to be told that losing my hair will give me extra time in bed in the morning when I’d otherwise have been blow-drying, or that buying a range of wigs will give me the chance to try out different personalities in the bedroom (both of which I read in an ‘uplifting compilation of quotes’ from breast cancer survivors).

“Nor do I want to give anyone else that impression. It’s irresponsible and, frankly, it’s complete crap — even before I’d experienced any of the things they were talking about, I knew that wasn’t how it was going to be. I’d have given up all the lie-ins in the world to keep my lovely locks. And not only do chemo drugs starve you of a sex life, but breast cancer treatment hardly does wonders for your body image either. (I don’t recall seeing a 20-something lass with a bald head and a missing boob on FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women list.)

“So stuff the clichéd, just-not-f***ing-funny cancer quips (‘think of all the money/time/ effort you’ll save on mascara/your hair/shaving your legs’), the saccharine, truth-masking ‘information’ sheets and the earnest, life- improving self-help books. It’s time someone told it how it really is."
"People keep telling me that I needn’t keep ‘being brave’ and that I ‘don’t have to feel positive all the time’ (get ‘brave’ and ‘positive’ on my most hated list IMMEDIATELY). They say whenever I want to let it all out or get really angry or have a good cry, I can talk to them. And it’s good of them to say so.

“But let me say this for the record: I am not consciously being anything. I will never want to have a good cry or rant or whinge. Those things happen spontaneously: trying on pyjamas in Marks & Spencer, watering the garden, stirring my tea, blowing out a candle before I go to bed. At the moment, every reaction is spontaneous (hence a poor teenage shop assistant getting both barrels in Dixons recently).

“In fact, this is the first f***ing time in my whole life when I’ve stopped giving a s**t about how I’m being, the way I’m acting or how I’m coming across to other people. Again: I am not trying to be anything. I’m just getting on with it.

“None of these words, today or any other day, is for your benefit. I’m not ‘being brave’ to make you feel better. Repeat: I. Am. Not. Being. Brave. You needn’t be concerned about how I’m coping. There is no ‘how’ here. I’m just coping. There’s no good or bad way to do it. You’d cope too.”

who invented the piano

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 06:12:00 +0000

Who invented the piano? Bartolomeo Cristofori celebrated in today's Google doodle

Cristofori’s entry in Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that little is known of his life and that his invention was not well known in his lifetime Google’s latest doodle celebrates the 360th birthday of the man widely credited with inventing the piano.

Bartolomeo Cristofori was born in Padua on this day in 1655 in what was then the Republic of Venice.According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the instrument Cristofori invented was referred to during his lifetime as a harpsichord that plays soft and loud, from which its name is derived. In Italian, the phrase is gravicembalo col piano e forte.

On the blog dedicated to its doodles, Google wrote that one of Cristofori’s “biggest innovations was creating a hammer mechanism that struck the strings on a keyboard to create sound. The use of a hammer made it possible to produce softer or louder sounds depending upon how light or hard a player pressed on the keys”.

It added: “Being able to change the volume was a major breakthrough. And that’s exactly what doodler Leon Hong wanted to highlight in this interactive doodle.”

Cristofori’s entry in Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that little is known of his life and that his invention was not well known in his lifetime, even if it has since become ubiquitous.It reads: “Cristofori apparently invented the piano around 1709, and, according to contemporary sources, four of his pianos existed in 1711.”

Ritika Sajdeh

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 06:04:00 +0000

Rohit Sharma Gets Engaged to Best Friend Ritika Sajdeh

Rohit Sharma is the record holder for the highest run score in One-Day-International cricket history (264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens). He has known Ritika Sajdeh for the last six years. She manages his cricket engagements.

Strike the name off Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma from your list of eligible bachelors as the fiery Indian batsman has already gone public with his long-time girlfriend. So, who is that lucky mystery girl who stole the heart of the Mumbai lad? Well, Sharma’s lady love is 28-year-old Ritika Sajdeh, a sports manager by profession, who has known Rohit for last six years. She is also the manager of dashing left-hander Suresh Raina. One of the most desirable bachelors of Indian cricket team ensured to make his engagement a special affair as he proposed his love with a solitaire and say those magical four words at Borivali Sports Club! Take a look at the picture of the adorable couple that will make you go.

Rohit Sharma took to Twitter to share the biggest news of his life, writing “From best friends to soulmates, couldn’t get any better @ritssajdeh”.

Rohit Sharma, who featured 21st in the list of Times 50 Most Desirable Men of 2014 decided to surprise his long-time girlfriend Ritika by whisking her away to Borivali Sports Club, a place where he first began playing serious cricket at the age of 11. On April 28, Sharma who was in his home town for Mumbai Indians’ match against Rajasthan Royals took the opportunity to propose to Ritika.

Sharma has been linked with several starlets like Sofia Hayat on numerous occasions but this engagement should put an end to all the speculations revolving around his personal life. He recently celebrated his 28th birthday on April 30, 2015 with many of his fellow cricketers wishing him and it now looks like wishes will continue to pour in.

Recently, his teammate from the Indian dressing room, Suresh Raina got married to childhood friend Priyanka Chaudhary in a grand wedding. Happy wishes to the newly engaged couple.

Star Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 05:52:00 +0000

Star Wars IS an American epic space Opera Franchise centered on A film Series created by George Lucas.

Finally the first time in Japan! Episode 1 broadcast Determination of "Star Wars rebel who" phantom When did you see? Probably today!

Disney XD in the broadcast in such CS broadcasting " Star Wars of the day on May 4 is a "luxury special organization to broadcast summarizes the related work" Star Wars The revolt Festival "at the 9:00 am 30 I know start!

As part of these efforts, what was made only for the US ABC broadcast " Star Wars rebel who full version of the first episode of " Japan's first broadcasting determine. Highlight is to say the, actor James Earl Jones will place play Darth Vader appeared. Broadcast time is know 0:30. Viewable fan Disney XD is, it will not hand you miss!

[Blu-ray] Star Wars (2, 000 Sets-limited): a Clone Wars Season 1-5 Collectors Edition (Class 14 Pieces)

Language: Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: Japanese, English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 14
Studio: Warner home video

Star Wars: A New Hope

Young farm boy Luke Skywalker is thrust into a galaxy of adventure when he intercepts a distress call from the captive Princess Leia. The event launches him on a daring mission to rescue her from the clutches of Darth Vader and the Evil Empire. Purchase also includes bonus features, available to watch in Your Video Library.

This release contains two DVDs: the version that Lucas has been tinkering with, and on a bonus disc, the original movie in 4:3 letterbox, taken from the best-available videodisc masters.

About that "tinkering." The 2004 version of Episode 4 looks, for the most part, quite gorgeous. The _restoration_ that Lucasfilm did is impressive: the blacks are blacker, the whites whiter, the color richer, the contrast improved all around, and the soundtrack is great. The dirt and scratches are gone, the shaky color very solid.

No. 1 popular Kizuna is full anxiety to 7 wearing Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 05:27:00 +0000

"Tenno Sho (Spring) · G1" (3 days, Kyoto) 　was the inexplicable defeat. It was Kizuna that was pushed to the No. 1 popular for the second consecutive year, 7 wearing for the first time of the bulletin board outside.

It ended in continued defeat in last year that was defeated in 4 pieces. "I do not know. It is because it's the first time not run up to this. I do not know. Extend the place was not even once." Taketoyo that clouded the facial expressions I was barrage the word "do not know". "the third time of the honest"! Yokoyama withdraw by increasing hurray Scripture and gold ship　always follow directly behind as. We were in position to mark the winning horse in the middle.

"Before the race was especially change without same as usual" and was back on the saddle, boast of Goashi was not able to wipe the fire until the end. 　Sasaki nurses and the "feeling that you are reluctant to the reaction to have not to those not .4 corner in Serve outside and the place in because there was no reaction. entering into something top speed" is also only just twist the neck. 　

This return after three consecutive losses from fracture in one year before the race. It's completely wandered into maze. Trainer is "not Hashire. To think that it today was the most ran easy to Baba, even though the finish. Stop way is anxious. Rather than the distance, and do not may be the influence of the fracture, the feeling of the problem be" a tough look my show. Derby horse listed Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to the maximum target has been stymied.

Ilan Halimi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 05:17:00 +0000

Ilan Halimi was a young French Jewish man of Moroccan descent who was kidnapped on 21 January 2006 by a group called the Gang of Barbarians and subsequently tortured, over a period of three weeks, resulting in his death.

A Bagneux, plaque in memory of Ilan Halimi found broken

Plaque in memory of Ilan Halimi, a young French Jew killed by the "gang of barbarians" in 2006 in Bagneux, in Hauts-de-Seine, was found broken Saturday, May 2 Alerted around 18 hours per one inhabitant, the city mayor, Marie-Hélène Amiable, did withdraw immediately. She was laid at the foot of a young oak tree in a park in the center of the city, in 2011. "It will be changed as soon as possible Monday" , said the one.

A complaint was lodged with the police station and an investigation was opened for "malicious damage" informed the prosecutor of Nanterre. If the exact circumstances remain unknown, the police prefer for now assuming a stones throw. According to M me Amiable, it is likely an act of vandalism.
However, this last Sunday, 3 May told Agence France-Presse want to remain "prudent" because there is nothing to exclude formally that the plate has been hit by a "branch" or broken "balloon" . "For our city theater Calvary of Ilan Halimi, it is a very strong symbol. "

Even the doubts prosecution side, "there is currently no identifying information." This "seems to be a voluntary act" without being "completely affirmative" on this point. The interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said join in the grief of the family and relatives of Ilan Halimi while ensuring "his support and determination that quickly allows any investigation light be shed " .

Indignation policy

Even before the results of the investigation, several politicians have reacted to this information. On Twitter, the president of the UMP, Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "dismay" .Asked about the community station Radio J, the Socialist Jack Lang expressed his "disgust" . "It is disgusting, there anti-Semitism in our country that is strong enough" , he stressed. The president of the Arab World Institute called for a "more radical policy" to combat all forms of racism, noting that there was also Islamophobia in France.

"I'm sorry, this is disappointing, it is an unspeakable act. But I'm even more surprised now it attacks everything, " said Philippe Obadia, representative of the Jewish community of Bagneux, which has about fifty families.Ilan Halimi was found naked, gagged and handcuffed near a railway track in the Essonne after being kidnapped and tortured for three weeks in the town of Hauts-de-Seine by the "gang of barbarians", which the chief, Youssouf Fofana, was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Caroline Fourest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 05:02:00 +0000

Caroline Fourest is a French feminist writer, journalist, columnist, radio presenter, editor of the magazine ProChoix, and author of Frère Tariq, a critical look at the works of Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan.

Caroline Fourest and Aymeric Caron settle their account on France 2

The war between Aymeric Caron and Caroline Fourest is not ready to stop. The journalist came to present his book the Praise of blasphemy , on the set of the show is not lying , aired Saturday, May 2 on France 2 . Aymeric Caron accuses the author of not being

"quite consistent with the spirit of January 11, "and proceed to the settling of scores," particularly with regard to those who have a vision of anti-racism is not entirely consistent "with that of Caroline Fourest .

Very quickly, the tone will rise when the columnist accused the journalist of distorting remarks. The explanation given by Caroline Fourest will be cut by Aymeric Caron, who take the opportunity to recall the condemnation of the journalist for a ticket on France Culture . The author of In Praise of blasphemy says she won the case and after the insistent remarks Aymeric Caron, dictates the winning on appeal. This latter is irritated not be able to talk about his book: "The last time I came, we could not talk about the book's content because you have an obsession that is to try to discredit people because you have a problem of confidence in you .

" The two journalists persist and Caroline Fourest eventually let go "It pisses me off to talk with someone as dumb as you."

NASCAR

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 04:54:00 +0000

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events.

Earnhardt win a Talladega tradition

The fans, like the race cars they'd just spent the day watching, were stacked three-wide and three-deep, pressed against the fence that separated them from the not-quite-yet-abandoned pit stall of the team that had just won Sunday's Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Not just the team, but the team. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. Every NASCAR racer has fans. But, despite the sanctioning body's best marketing efforts, the truth is that only one of those racers has his own nation, and the capital of Junior Nation is Talladega, Alabama.

"Seriously, bro, just one of those hats y'all got in Victory Lane."

Earnhardt's first win at the track since Oct. 3, 2004, was also his first win of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, essentially clinching him a Chase berth, his sixth consecutive postseason appearance after double-digit points finishes in five of the previous six years.

The Talladega drought-ender was his sixth win at NASCAR's longest and largest speedway, pulling him alongside teammate Jeff Gordon for the most among active drivers. The track's all-time winner is his father, Dale Earnhardt, with 10.

That's why the campgrounds around the track are perpetually draped in GM Goodwrench black, Nationwide blue and even plenty of old Budweiser red. And that's why the victory, despite coming at the end of a somewhat bewildering single-file final stanza, triggered so much emotion.

From the grandstands that erupted at the checkered flag, to Earnhardt Jr. himself fighting back tears in Victory Lane, to those treasure hunters hovering around the Hendrick Motorsports crew a full half-hour after the race had ended.Redneck Jesus was once again standing at the pulpit of the Church of Earnhardt. His parishioners wanted a piece of the moment.

"C'mon, dude, you don't need that empty champagne bottle. Let me have it."
"I love winning here because I feel like I add to the legacy," he said of his father, whose 64th birthday would have been last week, on April 29. "I don't really get to think about him that much. His birthday kind of came and went.

"But when we won today, it made me think about his birthday, how much I miss him, and how much he meant to me and so many more people. I can't even think about the number of folks that he had a relationship with, and all his fans out there and who really enjoyed seeing him compete there."

Earnhardt led six times, tied for the most (with Gordon). He led 67 laps, 17 more than anyone else (another teammate, Jimmie Johnson), including the final 27, the lead car of a single-file pack of cars that seemingly couldn't get on the same strategic page.

That was certainly part of the reason they weren't able to mount a serious charge ... but only part. The other part of the equation was a driver who was supremely confident in his car and his crew, particularly new crew chief Greg Ives and longtime spotter T.J. Majors. However, above all, he was powered by a return of confidence in a place that, long ago, was his playground.

It's the kind of confidence that makes a man believe he can not only control his own car, but the cars of everyone trying to beat him. Just like his dad.

"To be leading at the end, it's real hard to pass the leader, so I felt like I was in a good position being in the lead. I just needed to run the line that I felt like could sustain and calm everything behind me ... sometimes if you run up against the wall, everyone sort of lulls into this pattern and it's difficult for those guys to put together anything underneath that high line."

The kind of confidence that feels like the old days, no matter how old those days have become.

"Coming here and not knowing what to do here after winning five races and having so much success, to come here and not know what the hell to do ... . That felt so foreign after being so confident for so many years ... I know what I need to do now, and that's run hard."

The kind of confidence that lets a driver believe that his engine will hold together, even when the instruments in his face are all screaming otherwise.

"With 10 [laps] to go it was 285 [degrees] and the water pressure was pegged. It started pushing water the last couple of laps. The oil got over 300. The oil cooled back down, which scared me a bit. That is usually not a good sign. I had the fan on, doing everything I could just hoping it would last. The boys in the engine shop, I have to go see them and shake all their hands because they did a good job."

The kind of confidence that allows a man to talk openly and publicly about being happier at home, how he loves his girlfriend, missed her all day Sunday, and how much he adores his mother and sister. ("Everybody's happy. It's nice.") And the confidence of a boy-turned-man who is willing to embrace the biggest truth and during his struggles of just five seasons ago, his most common criticism of his life and career.

That he wouldn't be anywhere, let alone Victory Lane at Talladega, if not for his last name.

"I feel like that if my name wasn't Earnhardt I wouldn't have had a second chance," he said. "I feel like I owe my second chance to my dad and his legacy. Because the way I ran from '09 through 2012 or so [one win in five seasons], I didn't deserve to be kept around or hung on to All I ever want to do is make him proud. When I come to Talladega I'm reminded of that. Everywhere."

On Sunday evening, he spent his race winner's news conference getting downright sentimental.He reminisced about coming to Talladega as a kid to watch his father compete. Little Dale Junior would race three-wheelers at a friend's farm all week.

He'd play in the motel swimming pool. He and his best buddy, the son of fellow racer Jimmy "Smut" Means, would climb all over the wrecked race cars that were rolled back into the garage during Talladega races and stuff their pockets with whatever mementos they could snatch .

"You wouldn't believe the stuff the teams would leave sitting around," he said. "Goggles and spark plugs. Everything. We would gather all that stuff up and put it on the truck to take home."

On Sunday afternoon, in that same garage, it was the stuff off of Earnhardt's car that was being scavenged.

Lindsey Vonn

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 04:35:00 +0000

Lindsey Caroline Vonn is an American World Cup alpine ski racer on the United States Ski Team. She has won four World Cup championships one of two female skiers to do so, along with Annemarie Recovering from their respective injuries was great for Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods' careers.

Not so much for their relationship.

In news anyone who's looked at the World Cup and PGA Tour schedules could have seen coming, Vonn and Woods announced Sunday that they've parted ways after almost three years together. Both blamed their "hectic lives" for the split.

"Unfortunately, we lead very hectic lives and are both competing in demanding sports," Woods said in a statement similar to Vonn's. "It's difficult to spend time together."

Both are among the world's best in their sports, with Vonn an Olympic and world champion, and Woods a 14-time major winner. That doesn't happen without a lot of training and a single-minded focus on success, and as great an idea as it seems to put two of those people together, it's actually the recipe for a breakup.

(Somewhere Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki are nodding their heads.)

When Woods and Vonn first started dating, it was easy to be together. They were a good match, among the few people on the planet who can understand and appreciate what it takes to be the best at what you do. One of the few who can understand and deal with the downsides of fame, too.

For a while there, even their schedules were compatible.

Vonn shredded her knee during the 2013 world championships, an injury that would force her out of the Sochi Olympics and keep her off the slopes for most of the next two years. Sure, she rehabbed with a vengeance go back and look at some of the photos she posted during that time and try not to wince but she could do that from almost anywhere.

She got company in the recovery room last spring, when Woods began having back issues. The injury would eventually require surgery that kept Woods out of the 2014 Masters and caused him to play only sparingly last summer.

"We were kind of injured around the same time, and it was nice to just be in the gym with someone that knew what you were going through," Vonn said two weeks ago during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. "We kinda just pushed each other back to health."

Once they did, you may as well have put an expiration date on their relationship.

By all accounts, the two were happy and tried to make it work. Just last month, they looked like any other happy family as Vonn and Woods' young children, Sam and Charlie, joined Woods for the Par 3 Tournament at the Masters. Vonn seemed at ease with Woods' children, and she gushed about them at a movie premiere the next week.

"They're amazing kids, and he's an amazing father," she said. "I feel privileged to be along for the ride, and I help as much as I can. They're great kids I love 'em."

But it can be difficult to have a successful relationship when you see the other person every six weeks or so. And unless Vonn or Woods was planning to call it a career, that's what they were facing now.

Woods' summer schedule, announced earlier this week, has him playing at least five tournaments in a nine-week span. On two continents, no less. Vonn may be in her offseason, but there's nothing off about it. The U.S. Ski Team traditionally goes to the Southern Hemisphere – usually New Zealand or Chile over the summer to train.

Oh, and don't forget the hours she has to put in the gym to stay in shape. Tromping around a golf course for five hours a day, four or five days a week, isn't exactly conducive to that.During that interview with Meyers, Vonn didn't exactly hide her feelings about how long and drawn-out her then-boyfriend's sport could be, all but calling it boring.

"I love golf," Vonn said, trying not to grimace. "(It's) like five hours. That's a long time."

Time was something neither of them had. At least, not enough of it.

Secrets and Lies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 04:22:00 +0000

Secrets and Lies is an American drama television series based on the Australian television series of the same name. The series has a 10-episode series commitment.

Abby Killed Tom On 'Secrets & Lies' But The Ending Is Just The Beginning

And there you have it folks. On Sunday night’s Season 1 finale of ABC’s Secrets & Lies, Tom’s killer was finally revealed. Much like the original Australian version of the series before it, Secrets & Lies chose to reveal Tom’s killer as Ben’s younger daughter Abby (Eva from the original series). And while the reason behind Abby killing Tom remains the same in this adaptation, the fallout is different and gives Ben quite the lasting punishment both physically and emotionally. But as tragic an ending as the American version is, to be honest I totally understand why the writers chose it over the original.

The setup for the murder started the same as the Australian version. Abby was missing, Ben accused Jess of kidnapping her, and Jess accused Ben of sexual assault. Thankfully when the episode — smartly entitled “The Lie” — began, Abby was found and Ben was cleared by Cornell of any charges, including the murder of Tom. Here things took a turn away from the original adaptation in quite heartbreaking ways. Ben gleefully returned home a free man and Christy brought over the kids to celebrate New Year’s with him. Unfortunately when Ben started clearing away his ladder in the yard, he found a pair of Abby’s bloody sneakers underneath the guest house. And Abby finally revealed what happened.

She tearfully stated the details of the night Tom died. Abby had heard Christy and Ben fighting over Jess and the affair and told her parents that she wanted to help Tom run away to bring Scott back, because according to Abby when a child runs away, the parents always come back to find the kid. While running into the woods, Tom started getting cold feet about Abby’s plan and decided to run away. That’s when Abby accidentally hit him with the flashlight, and Tom fell down dead.

As the family listened in horror to Abby’s confession and planned out what to do next, Natalie couldn’t handle her parents’ even considering to protect Abby from the police. Ben and Christy decided to get Abby out of town and away from Detective Cornell while Natalie demanded to stay behind. Ben, after having a tragic conversation with Christy over where they went wrong with Abby, decided to do the honorable thing and confess to Tom’s murder to Cornell. Cornell however, knew more than Ben could have ever imagined.

Cornell revealed to Ben during his confession that Tom was struck six times when murdered and that she knew Abby was the one who did it. After realizing what this new information meant about Abby’s confession it basically proved the same thing about her as the original series: She was a cold-blooded killer he still went through with the confession and was arrested. Cornell couldn’t handle Ben’s decision, especially since she tried to level with him and relate to him when she admitted how hard it was for her to arrest her own daughter. But in the end, she couldn’t let it go. She ended the episode stating that she would put Abby away.

Abby on the other hand was far away with her mother during their escape and finally revealed the truth with one blood-curdling line that the series smartly reused from the original Australian series:

“None of this would have happened if I had just gotten Tom to the river.”

Will Abby ever get caught as she did in the original series? It all depends on whether or not the show gets renewed. So why end it with Abby free and Ben incarcerated rather than Abby coldly confessing to Cornell as in the original? Both endings make sense and are extremely dark and upsetting. But Sunday night’s season finale allows Ben to attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of a family he believes he ruined, despite knowingly allowing his daughter to roam free and potentially kill again. It might not be satisfying, but real life doesn’t always get closure.

Jean-Pierre Mocky

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 May 2015 08:46:00 +0000

Jean-Pierre Mocky is the pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. He appeared as an actor in the 1955 film Gli Sbandati and in many other movies, including some of those he also directed Jean-Pierre Mocky, film producer, is the guest of the Journal Unexpected.

Nice original filmmaker born in 1933, John Paul Mokiejewski, aka Jean-Pierre Mocky, is a loner who has built his image to the force of the wrist. He has to his credit nearly 100 projects, including 72 feature films. He has just published his autobiography called I'm going to make friends! published by Cherche-Midi, a book that tells, among other 65 years of life in the world of cinema.

Bac cheating: plagiarism increasingly in vogue

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Education published by Le Parisien - Today in France , cheating attempts during the baccalaureate in 2014 increased by nearly 10% compared to 2013. Among the most frequent cheating , plagiarism has been an explosion. The smartphone slipped discreetly under the table during the review comes top of the list. For his part, Jean-Pierre Mocky never had to cheat. Having done studies in medicine, this practice would have been of no help to him to diagnose a person. Moreover, the bachelor would cheat to risk big to little, deplores the writer referring to the value of the diploma became laughable today.

Adoption is increasingly difficult in France

In France, nearly 25,000 applicants are waiting for adoption but the steps to follow are laborious. Furthermore, social workers do not encourage families who carry out the requests. Sometimes they predict a failure from the beginning. Given the difficulties they encounter, French couples are turning more and more to international adoption. Currently, over 80% of cases of adoption in France are abroad. Jean-Pierre Mocky is particularly troubled by the fact that adoption is difficult in France. Indeed, when he was 42 years old, the director would have applied but has not fulfilled the criteria.