Chris Harris released by Chicago Bears

Chris Harris was released by the Chicago Bears on Thursday after the veteran safety asked for a trade earlier this month, ending his second run with the team.

Coach Lovie Smith said the move had been building over several weeks of subpar play.

Harris was beaten for a touchdown pass and dropped a potential interception Sunday against Tampa Bay. He had asked for a trade two weeks ago and was inactive against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 16, but then started Sunday in London against the Buccaneers.

Rookie Chris Conte started Sunday at free safety against Tampa Bay and made the first interception of his career. Second-year player Major Wright is the starter at strong safety. Harris has played both spots.

Harris was in his second stint with the Bears after being traded back from Carolina last year for linebacker Jamar Williams. After tying for the team lead in interceptions with five last year, he started the opener against Atlanta but sat out the next three games because of a pulled hamstring.

The Bears filled Harris' spot by signing former St. Louis Rams linebacker Jabara Williams off waivers.

Former teammates expressed surprise at Harris' departure. Defensive back D.J. Moore thought asking for a trade probably didn't help Harris' situation.

Lawmakers say they oppose use of public money for a new Vikings stadium

A cadre of Minnesota legislators opposed to putting public money into a deal for a new Vikings stadium said they'd let the team flee the state rather than let themselves be strong-armed into cutting a deal at any price.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, meanwhile, laid out two funding options and three possible sites in a bid to keep the team from bolting from the city to the suburbs — or beyond. His plan relies on new sales and lodging taxes or proceeds from a potential downtown casino.

All of it comes as Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's self-imposed deadline for crafting a stadium plan approaches. He hopes to call lawmakers into special session before Thanksgiving to vote on hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies.

The Vikings have four games remaining on their Metrodome lease, and have made it clear that they won't re-up without assurances that a new stadium will be built. Team owner Zygi Wilf has stopped short of threatening to leave the state, but other cities craving an NFL franchise are paying attention.

"We don't want them to leave, but if they're going to leave I guess that is going to happen," said Sen. David Hann, a Republican who led a news conference by a bipartisan group of lawmakers fighting efforts to expand gambling to help pay for a new stadium. The lawmakers said their opposition extends to using all forms of taxpayer money.

NFL to scan incoming fans with metal detectors

Security personnel at NFL games will begin using hand-held metal detectors as part of the screening process before fans enter the stadiums. Beginning Nov. 20, the detectors will be used at stadium gates because "we are always striving for ways to improve our security procedures at all of our stadiums," an NFL spokesman said.

Fitzpatrick says contract extension may be in works

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick confirmed that negotiations on a contract extension have become serious over the last two weeks and said he'd like to have a deal completed soon. "It would be something that I'd like to get done, and we'll see how it progresses here in the next few weeks," he said.

Fitzpatrick declined to provide details because he doesn't want talks to serve as a distraction to the 4-2 team.

In his seventh NFL season, the Harvard graduate is in the final year of a three-year contract. He has a 13-15 record over two-plus seasons with the Bills, and is credited with sparking an offense that ranks in the top 10 in numerous categories this season

Many Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr fight Bob Arum says maybe…

(ThyBlackMan.com) Bob Arum of Top Rank lashed out at unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. yesterday in an interview, saying that it’s Floyd Mayweather Jr who doesn’t want to make the fight happen with Arum’s fighter WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.
Arum said to ESPNLosAngeles “What Floyd Mayweather Jr hates is Manny’s right hand. Mayweather has no chin and Manny will knock him out. Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr is a three or four round fight, period.”
Here’s my take on this: Floyd Mayweather Jr isn’t the least afraid of Pacquiao’s right hand because he doesn’t hit as hard as the last guy that Floyd Mayweather Jr beat WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. Why would Mayweather be afraid to fight someone smaller, weaker and older than Ortiz?
No, Floyd Mayweather Jr isn’t afraid of fighting Pacquiao. But what he does want is for Pacquiao to agree to staying in the U.S to be available for Mayweather’s Olympic style random drug tests for the entire training camp and not having Manny Pacquiao be unavailable for the testing by spending half the training camp time in the Philippines. This is something that could be easily taken care of Pacquiao would simply say yes to staying in the U.S, but thus far it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
Arum has a negative view on the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight ever happening, saying “That fight will never, ever happen.”
I think it’s up to Arum. If he wanted to make the Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight happen he could very, very quickly. Arum has got the ability to convince Pacquiao of practically I believe. If Arum pushed Pacquiao to stay in the U.S so that he could be tested for performance enhancing drugs, I think Manny Pacquiao would agree in a second. But it’s up to Arum. I personally think he doesn’t want Manny Pacquiao to fight Mayweather because the Manny Pacquiao gravy train could come to a screeching halt after Floyd Mayweather Jr humiliates Pacquiao in an embarrassingly one-sided loss.
A lopsided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr would likely badly hurt Pacquiao in future PPV bouts, and I think Arum doesn’t want this. It’s easier to match Pacquiao up with old guys like 40-year-old Shane Mosley, 38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as his Top Rank stable fighters Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, and Timothy Bradley where there’s not much danger. At the same time, Arum, trainer Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao can throw out Mayweather’s name every once in a while and say he doesn’t want to fight. That way boxing fans will put the blame on Floyd Mayweather Jr instead of looking at Manny Pacquiao and his management as the reason the fight hasn’t been made.

NBA sides return, hope to build on progress

The NBA owners and players have ended negotiations for the day, meeting for 7.5 hours in an attempt to end the lockout.

Small groups from both sides returned to a hotel Thursday less than 12 hours after finishing a 15-hour meeting that went until past 3 a.m.

Commissioner David Stern said he expected to continue discussing the system Thursday.

Though the first two weeks of the season have been canceled because of the lockout, union executive director Billy Hunter said he believed 82 games were still possible with a deal by Sunday or Monday.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/10/27/sports/s004548D56.DTL#ixzz1c2QsNzt1

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PBA D-League: Cebuana Lhuiller opens up with a win over Cobra

MANILA, Philippines—Last season’s finalist Cebuana Lhuiller debuted in the PBA D-League Aspirants cup with a 58-74 victory over Cobra Energy Wednesday at the Trinity Gym.
Far Eastern University standout Terrence Romeo led the Gems with 14 points and four assists while the rest of the team took turns in the offensive end.
Head coach Luigi Trillo, though, was far from satisfied with his team’s overall performance.
“Nagkakanya-kanya. When we took the lead, they started committing unforced turnovers,” said Trillo, who said some of the team members only joined practice recently.
“We’re still adjusting to each other. They need to trust and give the ball to each other more. Hopefully we could get better,” Trillo added.
The Gems, who lost to NLEX in the finals of the Foundation Cup, asserted their superiority all game and led by as big as 15 points in the third quarter.
The Energy tried to storm back in the payoff period but could only come as close as six points, 39-45, on a basket by Lord Casajeros.
John Noble finished with 10 points and four assists for Cobra.

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Alaska eyes first victory

Games today:
Araneta Coliseum
5:30 p.m.- Alaska vs. Meralco
7:45 p.m.- Talk ‘N Text vs. Petron
THE LISTLESS Alaska Aces face a dangerous opponent in their quest to finally end their misery as they play the Meralco Bolts in today’s first game of the 37th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
In the main game, the defending champions Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters and the Petron Blaze Boosters play against each other in a rematch of last conference’s championship showdown.
Alaska is one of the two teams that have yet to win in the tournament, sporting a 0-4 (win-loss) card. The lowly Shopinas.com Clickers are the other winless squad with a 0-5 slate.
Alaska has yet to win under new head coach Joel Banal and is fresh from their worst defeat in franchise history after they got mangled by the league-leading Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 84-120, last Sunday.
The pressure to stop their slide is mouting for the Aces and they are hoping that their off-season success against the Bolts will give them the needed boost going into today’s game.
The Aces defeated the Bolts, 67-61, last Sept. 24 during the Cebu City Mayor`s Cup Invitational Games and also logged an 82-80 win against the same team in a tune-up game last Sept. 17.
The Bolts are looking for a good follow-up of their impressive 80-70 trashing of the erstwhile unbeaten Petron Blaze Boosters. That was Meralco’s third win in five games.
Petron tries to rebound from that loss against the Texters, who are looking some sort of revenge.
The Texters lost to the Blazers in the Governor’s Cup Finals that denied them what could have been a rare grand slam accomplishment.
Both teams sport 3-1 records, joing the Barako Bull Energy at second place behind the 4-1 Rain or Shine.
Talk ‘N Text is fresh from a gripping 96-94 win over the B-Meg Llamados. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CALVIN D. CORDOVA

Fiba Asia U16: PH Youth bows to Korea, ends world berth bid

Vietnam—A familiar basketball nemesis dealt the Philippines another heartbreak.
The Energen Pilipinas Under-16 team’s bid for a historic world berth came to an end as South Korea handed the young Nationals its first loss, 67-58, in the Fiba Asia U16 semifinals Thursday night at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center here.
In a run fueled by Henry Asilum, the Philippines came within a basket twice, the last at 58-60, after trailing by as many as 13 points, 44-57 in the second half.
But Korea held the Philippines scoreless in the final six minutes as the young Nationals also started missing even at close range.
Asilum and Jay Alejandro paced the Philippines with 12 points each.
The loss relegated the Philippines to a bronze-medal battle against Japan on Friday afternoon.
Hoon Heo torched the Philippines with a game-high 22 points, while Nakhyeon Kim and Gookchan Kim had 16 points apiece.
Heo, son of the legendary Hur Jae, drilled seven points in a 12-2 tear that gave Korea its first double-digit advantage, 37-27, after a deadlock at 25 late in the first half.
The hot-shooting Koreans continued to sizzle in the third period, extending the lead to as many as 13 points, 57-44.
Defending champion China, the only unbeaten team in seven games, and South Korea will dispute the crown Friday in a rematch of the 2009 edition’s championship.
Both finalists will represent Asia in the 2012 Fiba U17 World Championship from July 17 to 26 in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Boasting a pair of seven-footers, China downed Japan, 82-43, in the other semifinal match last night.
A win by the young Nationals could have been historic as no other Philippine basketball team in any division has reached the World Championship for over 30 years.
Manila’s hosting of the 1978 Fiba Worlds was the last time a Philippine team reached this lofty stage, where American coach Ron Jacobs steered the country to an eighth-place finish.
An all-amateur National squad (National Consolidated Cement) also qualified in the Worlds after topping the 1985 Asian Championship in Kuala Lumpur, but the team disbanded due to the 1986 People Power.
The boys’ loss added to the many heartbreaks that South Korea dealt the Philippines in past international campaigns.
Just last month, Korea pulled off an incredible come-from-behind win over Smart Gilas Pilipinas, 70-68, in the battle for the bronze in the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship in Wuhan, China.
The Philippines also had a meltdown in the 2002 Asian Games where Olsen Racela—now the youth team’s coach–bungled two crucial free throws before Lee Sang-min buried a triple at the buzzer that spoiled the country’s bid to advance to the gold-medal match against China.
The seeming jinx continued in the 2009 Fiba Asia in Tianjin, China where the Nationals blew the lead and lost seventh place to the Koreans.
Last year, Smart Gilas also absorbed a Korean setback in the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Asian Games.
“I reminded the players that I’ve played Korea in the past, I’ve seen them play our recent teams and we know we cant relax,” Racela said the night before his team’s crucial match.
“This Korean team is no different from the others. Their three-point shot is a big factor, that’s what we have to contain.”
Before the Korean loss, the young Nationals were on a a six-game roll, the last an 82-69 stunner over West Asian champion Iraq in the quarterfinals.
An upset over Japan (83-72) also capped the team’s 5-0 sweep of the first two rounds.
The Philippines, the reigning champion in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba), routed Indonesia (93-30) and Vietnam (111-25) in the preliminaries, before cruising past Qatar (107-28) and Saudi Arabia (100-42) in the second round.
The scores:
SOUTH KOREA 67–Heo 22, Kim N. 16, Kim G. 16, Kim M. 7, Lee 2, Yun 2, Park 2, Koh 0, Shin 0,
PHILIPPINES 58—Asilum 12, Alejandro 12, Javelosa 7, Diputado 6, Ramos 6, Rivero 6, Cani 5, Lao 4, Heading 0.
Quarters: 19-21, 37-29, 58-50, 67-58

Recruitment spells difference, says Lim

MANILA, Philippines — Deep into the post-game chat with Frankie Lim of San Beda, a scribe asked him about his outlook for Season 88th of the NCAA but the multititled mentor politely declined.

“Let us savor this moment first,” said a beaming Lim, eliciting laughter from those around him, moments after the Red Lions roared their way to a record-tying 16th NCAA cage title at the expense of the hard-fighting San Sebastian Stags.

Lim said the climb to the summit was fraught with difficulties, stressing that he never expected his team to just have two losses going into the finals.

The injury suffered by Sudan Daniel just before the tournament startled Lim but instead of lamenting the void left by the 6-8 center, Lim used it as a rallying point for his players to find ways to make up for his absence.

“I told them ‘wala na si Su (Daniels) so you guys have to deliver,’” said Lim, noting that he realized that San Beda would go all the way to the top after they beat the Stags in the battle for the top spot in the Final Four.

“That win was very important because it proved that we can win against them.”

The Stags were like a bunch of marauders in the elimination round as they feasted on just about any team that was thrown against them.

Even though SSC’s image of invincibility was shattered by Letran, it remained a dangerous foe even for a cohesive unit like San Beda owing to their explosive nature.

Lim said everything boils down to teamwork, a trait that he wants retained when the Lions attempt to win their fifth title in six years.

A few major players won’t be around to beef up the Lions next year as David Marcelo, adjudged the MVP Finals, Jess Villahermosa and Garvo Lanete will finally go elsewhere to ply their trade.

But Lim is confident he will have the same brand of intensity and cohesiveness with the arrival of players from San Beda’s farm team.

Asked about the players he will be recruiting to shore up his squad, Lim said it’s no secret who will take the places of those not coming back, hinting that the opposition will get the chance to size them up even before the kickoff of Season 88.

Lim said the San Beda recruitment program is key to their success the past few years.

Beckham-led Galaxy to play vs Azkals

Big football names like David Beckham and Landon Donovan, along with the rest of football club Los Angeles Galaxy are coming to Manila this December.
The Galaxy, after wrapping up their Major League Soccer campaign, will go head-to-head with the Philippine national football squad in an international friendly on Dec. 3. at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
President of LA Galaxy’s business operations Thomas Payne assured that the full line up, including Irish striker Robbie Keane, will be present to put on a show.
“We understand what this is about. We understand that we have popular players. And they will be on the Tour,” said Payne.
“It comes in a really good time for us. Barring any kind of injury, the whole team is here. They know when they sign on, but they’re going to go on a post season tour,” added Payne, who arrived in the Philippines just this morning just to take a tour of the city.
National team manager Dan Palami, though, believes that the Galaxy will feel the full brunt of the Akzals attack in the pitch.
“The Azkals will play as if we have to win the game,” said Palami in a press conference Tuesday at the Makati Shangrila.
Palami said that he has sent out invitations to the players based abroad, and among those who have responded are Fil-Icelandic Ray Jonsson, Fil-British goal keeper Neil Etheridge, and Fil-Dutch Dennis Cagara and Fil-Danish Jerry Lucena.
“Some of the players we have in Europe have played against high profile players, so they’re used to this,” added Palami.
It has been a year since the Azkals’ unprecedented run in the AFF Suzuki ywhich resurrected football in the country—and the event is only a fitting way to end the a fruitful year.
“To end the year with the big bang—we thought that win over Nepal was enough. But this is an early Christmas bonus. It will be good for the Azkals and the Philippine football in general,” shared Palami.
Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta agreed saying this an early Christmas gift for the Philippine football fans. /inquirer with reports from Mars G. Alison
Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines.

With Texas on verge of title, Game 6 tied 2-2

(10-27) 18:25 PDT ST. LOUIS (AP) --

Run-scoring hits by Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler offset Lance Berkman's two-run homer, leaving the Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals tied 2-2 after three innings Thursday night as Texas tried to win its first World Series title.

With Texas ahead 3-2 in the Series, the Rangers knocked out Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia after just three innings, his shortest outing since June 2010. Fernando Salas relieved to start the fourth.

Texas got far better swings against Garcia than it did in Game 2, when he allowed three hits in six shutout innings. This time, he gave up five hits and two walks, throwing 59 pitches.

Seven of the first 13 Texas batters reached base, but the Rangers hit into two double plays and were just 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Hamilton hit an RBI single in the first, Berkman put St. Louis ahead in the bottom half against Colby Lewis. Kinsler then retied the score when he doubled in a run in the second.

Lewis allowed two hits and one walk, throwing 42 pitches.

Just 24 of the 61 previous teams with 3-2 leads won Game 6, but 41 of those 61 teams went on to win the title. Eighteen teams trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven format bounced back for championships, including 12 that swept the last two games at home.

In an effort to provide more production behind Albert Pujols, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa moved Berkman to cleanup and dropped slumping Matt Holliday down to fifth.

Rangers manager Ron Washington moved hot-hitting Mike Napoli up one spot to seventh and had Craig Gentry hitting eighth, as he did in Game 2.

Four Cardinals Hall of Famers, wearing cardinal red sports jackets, stood at home plate before the game. Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith. And then the greatest Cardinals player, 90-year-old Stan Musial, was driven from the right-field corner to the plate in a golf cart. Wearing a red sweater and Cardinals warmup jacket, he greeted his fellow Hall of Famers and watched 2006 Series MVP David Eckstein throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Texas went ahead 10 pitches in. After starting with a called strike, Garcia walked Kinsler on four straight pitches, and Elvis Andrus' hit-and-run single put runners at the corners. Hamilton pulled the next pitch into right field for a single and his third RBI of the Series.

Garcia recovered to strike out Michael Young and Adrian Beltre, then got Nelson Cruz to hit into an inning-ending forceout on his 23rd pitch.

Lewis quickly gave back the lead. Skip Schumaker, moved up from eighth in the batting order to second, singled with one out in the bottom half. Pujols flied out on the next pitch. Berkman also swung at the first pitch, sending an 89 mph offering over the center-field wall. The home run lifted Berkman's batting average to .421 (8 for 19) in this year's Series and .406 (13 for 32) in his career.

Napoli, the Series leader with nine RBIs, walked leading off the second and Gentry singled him to second. Lewis bunted directly at third baseman David Freese, who started a rare 5-6-4 double play. Shortstop Rafael Furcal took the throw at third for the force, then threw to second baseman Nick Punto covering first.

Kinsler followed with a ground-rule double that hopped over the left-field fence, tying the score 2-all. La Russa then had Mitchell Boggs start warming up after Garcia had thrown just 42 pitches to 10 batters,

Andrus hit an inning-ending lineout to right that Berkman slightly misjudged and caught with a jump.

Schumaker and Pujols flied out just in front of the warning track in the third. Other than his 5-for-6, three-homer, six-RBI performance in Game 3, Pujols is 0 for 14.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/10/27/sports/s182541D61.DTL#ixzz1c2OqZqXn

Occupy Oakland: More than 100 arrested; police defend tactics

Police arrested more than 100 people during a night of clashes with Occupy Oakland protesters throughout the city's downtown area.

The scene finally cleared after midnight Wednesday, but police were on alert in case crowds returned.

Oakland's interim police chief, Howard Jordan, said arrests were continuing and that the total number might rise. Eight-five of those arrests were made Tuesday night, when officers raided the Occupy Oakland encampment on Frank Ogawa Plaza at City Hall, along with an annex in a park near Lake Merritt.

PHOTOS: Occupy Oakland protest

Jordan justified his department's use of tear gas.

"We were in a position where we had to deploy gas in order to stop the crowd and people from pelting us with bottles and rocks," he said.

Protesters had also thrown paint "and other agents" at officers, he added.
The crowd reached about 1,000 people at its peak, Jordan said, noting that police used bean bag rounds to disperse demonstrators. He said no rubber bullets were used -- a claim disputed by protesters.
Two officers were injured in the clashes, Jordan said. He said he did not know how many demonstrators may have been hurt.

In an interview with KTVU-TV Channel 2, Officer David Carman said he had been hit by paintballs and more.

"The crowd started throwing bottles, paints, beer, eggs at myself and the other officers," he said.

But some activists criticized the police tactics.

Kat Brooks, an Occupy Oakland activist and spokeswoman, said she took her young daughter home about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday because she did not want to expose her to the tear gas flooding downtown Oakland.

Protesters had marched from the plaza to Snow Park, a swatch of green near Lake Merritt, where an annex encampment was also torn down by police Wednesday morning. They had returned to City Hall when the confrontation began.

"We weren’t there but a minute before they started giving the dispersal order," Brooks said Tuesday night. "The first time they said five minutes, this time they said 'now.' They shot off the flash grenades and people scattered."

"This is the most disciplined I've ever seen Oakland be. There was no damage to property," she said.

At one point, Brooks said, several officers were hit with paintballs, but she said they had come out swinging batons.

"From the way they came into the camp [Tuesday] morning to the way they acted tonight, they have gone beyond what was necessary," she said.

RELATED:

Occupy Oakland: Police and protesters in tense standoff

Occupy Oakland: Police fire two more rounds of tear gas at crowd

Occupy Oakland: Protest spokeswoman says police action "beyond" what's necessary

-- Lee Romney in Oakland and Robert J. Lopez

Photo: People flee after tear gas is fired in Oakland. Credit: Associated Press


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Report: Andy Rooney Hospitalized in Serious Condition

NEW YORK – Andy Rooney, who delivered his last essay on the CBS TV newsmagazine "60 Minutes" three weeks ago, was in the hospital Tuesday after developing serious complications following surgery.
CBS said the 92-year-old writer's condition was stable and, at the request of his family, offered no other information about his medical problems or where he was hospitalized.
The three-time Emmy-winner was a regular presence on television's most popular newsmagazine. Since 1978, "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" wrapped up the Sunday night program, often with a look at the absurdities of life and language.
Rooney could talk about what was in the news or what was in his closet. One of his Emmy Awards was for an essay about whether there was a real Mrs. Smith behind Mrs. Smith's Pies.
On Oct. 2, he delivered his 1,097th and final essay, saying it was a moment he dreaded.
"I wish I could do this forever. I can't, though," he said.
True to his often cantankerous nature, Rooney noted that he hated being recognized on the street. So if you see him in a restaurant, he said as he signed off, "please, just let me eat my dinner."
He's had a long career as a writer, and that's how he saw himself. He worked for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and wrote four books about World War II. He wrote for entertainment personalities Arthur Godfrey and Garry Moore and had a longtime partnership with newsman Harry Reasoner.
With "60 Minutes" looking for something new at the end of its show, Rooney's first essay appeared on July 2, 1978: a complaint about people who kept track of how many people died in auto accidents over holiday weekends.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/10/26/report-andy-rooney-hospitalized-in-serious-condition/#ixzz1btitdyGK

John Lackey to have Tommy John surgery

(CBS/AP) A miserable year for Red Sox starter John Lackey just got worse.

Lackey will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2012 season, Boston's new GM Ben Cherington announced Tuesday.

Photos: Players who have had Tommy John surgery

It's the latest setback for a once-elite pitcher who had major issues on and off the field in 2011. He was 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA in the second year of a five-year, $82.5 million contract. To make matters worse, the Boston Globe reported that he and fellow starters Josh Beckett and Jon Lester drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games in which they were not pitching.

As if that wasn't enough, Lackey filed for divorce late in the season. His wife has breast cancer.

"Everything in my life sucks right now, to be honest with you," Lackey declared after another terrible start in May.

When announcing Lackey's reconstructive elbow surgery, Cherington praised the pitcher for playing through adversity.

"John Lackey pitched through circumstances this year that I don't think any of us in this room can fully understand," Cherington said, "and he got beat up for it a little bit along the way. This guy was dealing with some stuff both on the field and off the field that were really difficult. I thought he showed tremendous toughness pitching through that."

Fortunately for Lackey, Tommy John surgery has a high success rate. Washington Nationals' phenom Stephen Starsburg had the surgery last year and came back strong this September.

When Dr. Frank Jobe performed the first such surgery on Tommy John in 1974, he put the Dodger pitcher's chances of complete recover at 1 in 100.

Since then, dozens of major leaguers have had the surgery, and chances of a successful recovery now hover closer to 90 percent, according to Dr. Michael Reinold, a rehabilitation coordinator for the Boston Red Sox.

The usual rehabilitation period from Tommy John surgery is at least 12 months.

Considering the brutal year Lackey just endured, maybe the time off will do him some good.

Bizzaro valuations: Amazon (P/E = 100) vs. Apple (14)

Even after Tuesday's free-fall, Amazon's shares cost seven times more than Apple's
It's never been adequately explained to me why Amazon's (AMZN) shares are so expensive and Apple's (AAPL) so cheap.
Both stocks were punished after reporting their most recent quarterly earnings. Apple fell $23.62 (5.6%) last week when the company came in with iPhone sales that were lower than analysts expected, reducing profit growth to 54%. Amazon fell $10.46 (4.4%) Tuesday after reporting net income down 73% and offering investors the strangest guidance I've ever seen:
"Operating income (loss) is expected to be between $(200) million and $250 million, or between 142% decline and 47% decline compared with fourth quarter 2010."
Apple, by contrast, is expecting next quarter's sales to grow by at least 38%, to $37 billion.
To be sure, the two companies are in very different businesses. But they are about to compete in the tablet market -- the only part of his business that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos mentioned in Tuesday's press release -- and the contrast is striking.
Amazon will lose money on the Kindle Fire -- the more it sells, the more it loses -- hoping to make it up in the sale of books, movies, music, etc.
Apple will make some money from music, apps and books, but the big bucks (and we're talking billions) come from the sale of its high-margin hardware.
Two different business models. Both growing rapidly, both (mostly) profitable. But at Tuesday's close, Apple's shares (at $397.77) were selling at 14.4 times trailing earnings and Amazon's ($227.15) were selling at 100.2.
Can someone tell me why?
Posted in: Amazon, App Store, Apple, iPad, iTunes, Jeff Bezos, Kindle, Quarterly earnings
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Terrell Owens' agent waits for calls

No teams attended Terrell Owens' workout in Calabasas, Calif., on Tuesday, but the 37-year-old receiver said he was confident that he showed enough that teams will be interested.

The free-agent receiver is unsigned after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and having surgery in early April. He participated in some drills and caught passes Tuesday in the workout that was televised on ESPN and the NFL Network. He did not run the 40-yard dash.

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AP Photo/Amy Sancetta
Terrell Owens nearly had 1,000 yards receiving with the Bengals last season and says he's now healthy enough to help an NFL team in 2011.
"I definitely feel there are some teams out there that are interested," he told ESPN.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Wednesday in an interview with ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" that no teams have called as of Wednesday morning, but he's sure NFL teams were watching Owens' workout on TV.

"Just because they weren'’t there doesn't mean they weren'’t interested," he said. "I can guarantee that all 32 teams were interested."

Rosenhaus said that from his conversations with teams before the workout that he wasn't surprised by their absence. He said the workout was organized to "create interest. We were trying to create a buzz."

And he believes that Owens opened some eyes Tuesday.

"I think that teams see that Terrell is healthy, that he is ready to play football," Rosenhaus said.

He also said that if Owens doesn't sign with a team this year, he still will try to resume his career in 2012.

Owens on Tuesday wore a T-shirt with the words "I am" on the front and "ready" on the back at the beginning of the workout. He took the shirt off when he ran routes and caught passes from Casey Hansen, who played quarterback at Norfolk State and has played in the Arena Football League.

"I felt very comfortable out there," Owens told ESPN after the workout.

Rosenhaus told ESPN's Rachel Nichols on Tuesday that he planned to send a tape of the workout to all 32 teams.

Owens said he wasn't deterred by the fact that no scouts were in attendance and said his workout "speaks for itself."

"I only need one team," Owens told the NFL Network. "I only need one chance."

Owens said he felt good after the workout and that overall, "I probably feel better than I did before when I got hurt."

The six-time Pro Bowler had 72 receptions for 983 yards and nine touchdowns last season with the Cincinnati Bengals when Carson Palmer was his quarterback.

Palmer last week was traded to the Oakland Raiders and Owens was asked by ESPN's Jerry Rice if he had considered a reunion with Palmer in Oakland.

"I'm very familiar with Carson. If that situation comes up, I'll have to assess that," he said.

Owens said he hopes to sign with a contender but that if only non-contenders are interested, "I'm not going to give up just for the sake of giving up."

Jenna Lyons' Divorce: Why Are We So Shocked?

According to the New York Post's Page Six, new details have emerged about the divorce of Jenna Lyons: the creative director of J. Crew, much admired for her impeccable taste, is splitting from husband, Vincent Mazeau, and is supposedly in a relationship with another woman.

If the rumors are true, this means, among other things, that contrary to tired stereotypes, not every lesbian looks like, say, Pat Buchanan. Yes, folks, a lesbian can be stylish. And not just kind of stylish, but really stylish. In fact, two lesbians can be stylish, assuming that Lyons wouldn't pair up with some who has questionable taste.

L'affair Lyons is catnip for gossip rags, and if she actually is gay, she will join the many celebrity women once married to men whose coming outs inspired more media coverage than usually devoted to small revolutions. (The Frisky takes us down memory lane to remember some others in a slideshow here.)

One early example is The Daily Mail's headline: "Millionaire J Crew boss who painted five-year-old son's toenails pink splits from husband -- and moves on with lesbian lover"

Because the pink toenails clearly have a lot to do with it. I'm just surprised no one has suggested that the writing was on the wall in Lyons' recent interview with The New York Times discussing how gay and lesbian couples have recently had an influence on J. Crew's wedding collection:

The piece quotes Lyons, "Based on feedback, she said, there was a need for simpler dresses, as a way for a woman to differentiate herself if her partner decides to go the princess bride route. Ms. Lyons is also thinking of offering a white pantsuit."

Lyons clarified in the piece that said pantsuit would be "not necessarily for a lesbian."

You'd hope that any socially-aware heterosexual person in Lyons' position would have had the same idea, no?

Perhaps the biggest question Lyon's personal saga raises is this: Is the public shocked by the fact that she was married to a man for ten years and that she now likes women? Or that she's a successful, well-respected and beautiful leader in the fashion industry who's gay, but not a man?

Ed Lee vetoes SF health care bill - antibusiness

Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday issued his first veto since taking office in January, describing legislation intended to close a loophole in San Francisco's law requiring employers to provide some funding for their workers' health care expenses as bad for business.

"This legislation aims to solve an important problem, but imposes an overly broad approach to solving a discrete set of issues," Lee said in his veto letter.

The Board of Supervisors approved the proposal on a 6-5 vote last week, setting up a showdown with Lee just weeks before the Nov. 8 mayoral election, in which polls show him as the front-runner in a field of 16 candidates.

Four of his rivals, Supervisor John Avalos, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, city Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and state Sen. Leland Yee, have signaled they will make Lee's veto a campaign issue, having rallied on the steps of City Hall this month urging him to support the plan.

It's unlikely sponsors of the legislation will get eight votes to override the veto. But Supervisor David Campos, chief sponsor of the legislation, said Lee "is taking San Francisco in the wrong direction" by limiting the funding uninsured workers can access to pay for their health care needs.

Campos said he is considering taking his proposal to the voters. It takes four supervisors to place a measure on the ballot.

The Campos plan targets the provision in the city's groundbreaking health care law that allows employers to set up individual health care reimbursement accounts for uninsured workers. Participating employers contribute up to $4,252 annually into each worker's account, but any unused money at the end of the year can go back to the employer.

Last year, 860 businesses out of the approximately 4,000 covered by the law contributed a combined $62.5 million into the reimbursement accounts, but just $12.4 million was used by workers. Employers pocketed the rest.

Under the Campos amendment, the unspent money would accrue in the accounts. Only after a worker has been off the payroll for 18 months could an employer get the money back.

Business owners and their trade association said it would force them to lay off workers, shelve expansion plans, move out of the city or close.

Lee said that while he agrees the proposal would be bad for business, he believes changes are needed.

One of his goals, he has said, is to get businesses to be less restrictive on how the money can be used. Some employers, for example, won't reimburse workers for health insurance premiums or for enrollment in a city plan that makes use of public clinics and hospitals.

The Campos amendment, he said, would not increase access to health care or protect jobs. "Moreover, this cash, pulled out of our local economy, will not be available to pay wages or grow businesses," Lee told supervisors.

The mayor formed a working group to see whether a compromise could be brokered and Lee said in his veto letter that he is "confident there is a legislative path forward."

Meanwhile, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu has offered a different amendment to address the loophole. Under his version, at least a year's worth of unused employer contributions must always be available to avoid a use-it-or-lose-it scenario.

The board was to vote on Chiu's plan Monday, but, at his urging, delayed consideration for one week.

Chiu, Campos and Lee all agree that employers should do a better job of telling workers how to access the reimbursement funds, and also want to prevent restaurants from placing a surcharge on their patrons' bills for employees' health care unless the money is actually used for that purpose.

"Once we're past this week, I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues to find a solution," said Chiu, who also is running for mayor.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/25/BAKG1LMB78.DTL#ixzz1bthbgKib

Denver weather turns wintry; Occupy protesters say they fear they will die

Monday’s record 80-degree temperatures in Denver were replaced Tuesday night by a wet and heavy snowstorm that left trees bent, power out, and the wind howling. Some areas of the state got up to 10 inches of snow.


Bundled up Occupy Denver protesters argue with a policeman about their right to pitch tents in the park. (Image via YouTube) Occupy Denver protesters, who have been occupying the Civic Center Park for nearly a month, didn’t do well with their first taste of the cold, as temperatures fell to 38 degrees in the early morning and forecasters predicted they’d soon drop to the 20s.

Occupy organizers told police who tried to tear down their tents Tuesday night that they feared people forced to sleep in the open would die from the cold. In the following video from Occupy Denver, an organizer says that several people have already had to be removed from the park for hypothermia:


On the Occupy Denver Facebook page, a message from last night reads:

It is a rough night for [the] Occupy Denver team 24/7 tonight. Tarps, waterproof blankets and bedding, cold weather clothing, all could help... Despite the cold tomorrow, we will be doing non-violent protest training...
Despite the cold, a major protest is scheduled for Saturday in the park.

Protester Shannon Garcia, who is three months pregnant, told the Associated Press that while she is concerned about the changing weather, she and other protesters will stay no matter what.

“I’m freaking out a little bit, of course,” Garcia said. “[But] everybody here takes care of everybody, so I have no doubt that if things get really bad for me, I’ll be safe.”

Start-up Unthink: We're the 'anti-Facebook'

says it will trigger a social revolution.
On its home page, Unthink uses black-and-white photos of the Civil Rights Movement as a backdrop, and it promises to "emancipate social media" and "unleash people's extraordinary potential." Apparently, that's done by giving users an online hub that is free of "privacy issues," "endless redesigns," and user profiles vamping as "commercial junkyards," as well as allowing users to own their data and all their interactions on the site.
It's not hard to identify which social network Unthink, based in Tampa, Fla., is targeting in launching its public beta today.
For its part, Facebook, which currently dominates the social Web, says its users do actually own the data they post on its network. But that has yet to be tested. In Europe this week, Facebook Ireland is under fire for allegedly violating data privacy laws and holding on to vast amounts of private messages, "pokes," and "unfriending" activity that a user said he had deleted over the past three years.
Founded on Earth Day in 2008, Unthink is backed by $2.5 million in venture funding from DouglasBay Capital. On its site, where those who want to sign up can get an invitation code in exchange for their e-mail address, Unthink says it will work with brands that are "forward-thinking, socially responsible, and environmentally conscious." Users can choose which brands to feature or advertise on their profile pages.
Beyond this casual reference to brands and advertising, Unthink's actual business model is unclear. According to TechCrunch, which first reported about Unthink's public beta, users who choose not to align themselves with a brand can instead pay a $2 annual fee.

Laura Locke
Laura Locke is a senior writer for CNET, covering social media, emerging trends, and start-ups. Prior to joining CNET, she contributed extensively to Time and Time.com for much of the past decade.

Topics:Software, Entertainment, Social networking, Advertising and marketing, Consumer content Tags:anti-Facebook, social revolution, Unthink, DouglasCapital, emancipation from social networks

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Storm leaves Denver roads wet; more snow, power outages to the north

Wet, heavy snow that began falling along the Front Range and on the Eastern Plains late last night is straining trees, snapping limbs and causing power outages in some areas, especially north of Denver.

Clusters of power outages have hit areas of Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties, according to Xcel Energy. In Denver, an area around West 52nd Avenue and Federal Boulevard also had power down this morning.

The overnight storm brought 10 inches of snow to Greeley, according to the National Weather Service. After 2 a.m. snow was falling in Greeley at the rate of about 2 inches per hour.

In Denver, public works crews were out overnight; roads in Denver are wet, and icy and slushy in some spots, but mostly in good shape

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"We're looking really good," said Ann Williams, Director of Communication for Denver Public Works.

Williams said they had 68 snow plows at the ready last night, and they started circulating through Denver's streets as soon as the snow began to fall.

"Oh yeah, they're all out," Williams said. "And they'll stay out."

Williams said the biggest concern this morning is that the roads are very wet. She said bridges and elevated sections of road could be icy or slushy, but added that should melt as soon as the sun comes up.

"The biggest thing for drivers this morning is to make sure they have wiper fluid," Williams said.

The wet, heavy snow is bending trees, many of which have not lost all their leaves.

Williams said one snowplow driver reported seeing a lot of downed branches in the middle of the roadways in Denver.

At Denver International Airport the snow has been minimal and operations are running on normal schedules, according to airport officials.

"We will likely see airlines de-icing aircraft this morning, but all airport operations are normal," DIA said in a media release.

Air travelers can check their flight status at

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href='http://www.FlyDenver.com'>www.FlyDenver.com before heading out to the airport.
A steady snowfall should continue in the metro area through 9 a.m., according to the weather service, and then the storm will begin to gradually clear out.
Denver's high temperature today should be about 33 degrees, the weather service reports, and there's a 10 percent chance of snow tonight in the city.

Northern lights take unusual trip down south

WASHINGTON—A baffling solar storm pulled colorful northern lights unusually far south, surprising space weather experts and treating skywatchers to a rare and spectacular treat.


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A storm-chasing photographer captured the strange sky show in Arkansas Monday night. People in Kentucky and Georgia reported their sightings to local television stations. A special automated NASA camera that takes a picture of the sky every minute in Huntsville, Ala., captured 20 minutes of the vibrant red and green aurora borealis.

In Arkansas, Brian Emfinger called the view "extremely vivid, the most vivid I have ever seen. There was just 15 to 20 minutes where it really went crazy."

Emfinger, a storm chaser, captured the vibrant nighttime images on camera in Ozark, Ark.

He called it "a much bigger deal" than a tornado" because he sees dozens of those every year. This is only the second northern lights in a decade that he has seen this far south.

"They are very rare events," said NASA scientist Bill Cooke, who found the aurora photos in the Alabama camera's archive and posted them on the Marshall Space Flight Center's blog. "We don't see them this far south that often."

Officials at the federal Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colo., said they were surprised at the southern reach. The center monitors solar storms, which trigger auroras.

Space weather forecast chief Bob Rutledge said given the size of the solar storm, the lights probably shouldn't have been visible south of Iowa. The storm was only considered "moderate" sized, he said.

He called the storm unusual, its effects reaching Earth eight hours faster than forecast. But that timing made it just about perfect for U.S. viewing, he said.

"The peak of the intensity happened when it was dark or becoming dark over the U.S., coupled with the clear skies. We did have significant aurora sightings," Rutledge said. "The timing was good on this."

In Huntsville, the aurora lasted from 8:25 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. CDT, Cooke said. In Arkansas, Emfinger went out shortly after sunset after getting a space weather alert. He saw auroras that lasted until after 11 p.m.

An aurora begins with a storm shooting a magnetic solar wind from the sun. The wind slams into Earth's magnetic field, compressing it. That excites electrons of oxygen and nitrogen. When those excited electrons calm down, they emit red and green colors, Rutledge said.

Often solar storms can cause damage satellites and power grids. This one didn't, Rutledge said.


------

Online:

NASA's automated camera capturing the aurora: http://bit.ly/t3n81N

Brian Emfinger's page: http://www.realclearwx.com/

The Space Weather Prediction Center: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

Derek Holland Put On A Headset Last Night And Did Impressions Of Harry Caray And Arnold Schwarzenegger

What we watched: So how long will it be before the television networks demand that flex scheduling be extended to include the entirety of the NFL season, rather than just its final few weeks? One night after the Saints couldn't stop scoring against the Colts, the Ravens and Jaguars combined for six fumbles and four third-down conversions in 28 tries. With the exception of Josh Scobee's three field goals from 50-plus yards, it was unfunny comedy.
It's often much too easy for the rest of us to second-guess coaching decisions made by men who get paid enormous sums of money for their football acumen. But even the Ravens players were left to wonder last night why Ray Rice carried the ball just eight times in a game in which Joe Flacco needed nearly three quarters to throw for so much as a first down. Granted, Rice fumbled early on, but there's a difference between having little tolerance for such mistakes and just plain failing to realize you're not using your best (if not only) viable option. Then, of course, there was Jack Del Rio, who elected to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Ravens' 15 in the first quarter, only to have the Jags get the first down before fumbling it back on the next play. Watching Monday Night Football made for that kind of evening. And mercifully, it's over.

Elsewhere

Theo Epstein wrote a college essay for the Globe: "For the last decade, I gave everything I had to the Red Sox and received even more in return. I grew enormously as a person, had some successes, and made a lot of mistakes, too. I still love the organization, enjoy close relationships with owners John Henry and Tom Werner - as well as a complicated but ultimately productive and rewarding relationship with Larry Lucchino - and count many of my co-workers among my dearest friends. The reason I am leaving has nothing to do with power, pressure, money, or relationships. It has nothing to do with September, either." [Boston Globe]

Gawker's Hamilton Nolan on boxer Nonito Donaire: "Donaire says he will move up to 122 pounds for his next fight. From there he can easily jump up to the talent-laden featherweight division, and create his legacy against truly worthy opposition. Two or three years from now, Nonito Donaire could very well be the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. But first, he'll have to learn body punching." [HBO]

Your Cobra vs. Mongoose Interlude:

Posnanski on Tim McCarver: "Trouble is, McCarver has been doing this a long time. And one of the sad truths is that sports color commentary tends to have an expiration date (and, I'll admit, sportswriting often does, too). There comes a time when everyone has heard the stories, when the insights have become clichés, when the game just changes on you. And if we're being realistic - and I'm not saying this is true for McCarver because I don't know - there usually comes a time when longtime color commentators stop doing the prep work, stop working the clubhouses, stop keeping up with the latest news. They rely on their experience, their history. That's just human nature. I thought it was telling when Terry Francona, who was so refreshing in part because he was so up to date, made the point that Kinsler is one of the best young players in the game. Two days later, McCarver said: ‘I had never thought of him that way.'" [Sports Illustrated]

Can't run from the IRS: "Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee, one of the greatest female athletes in history, and her track coach husband owe more than $1.22 million in delinquent federal taxes, according to public records. Joyner, 49, won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the late 1980s and 1990s and launched a charitable foundation in East St. Louis, Ill." [Detroit News]

Merch: Managing editor Tom Scocca and contributing editor Drew Magary have both written books. You can buy Scocca's Beijing Welcomes You: Unveiling the Capital City of the Future here, and Magary's The Postmortal here. Now do it.

Send stories, photos, and anything else you might have to tips@deadspin.com.

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All about Jenna Lyons

If you own a sweater, or pencil skirt or pair of oxfords from J.Crew, you have already been acquainted with Jenna Lyons, even if you don't know her by name.
The creative director and president of J.Crew, who is currently going through a messy divorce, is credited with developing the retail behemoth's preppy-yet-offbeat aesthetic. In recent years, Lyons has become a style personality, the antidote to the Alexander McQueens and Lady Gagas of the world, known for mixing basics with the subtly quirky.
J.CREW EXEC IN MESSY SPLIT
Women deeply identify with the laid-back, 6-foot-5 creative director and have increasingly been interested in the minutiae of her life. In 2008, J.Crew sought to take advantage of Lyons' appealing personality by creating "Jenna's Picks," a section in their catalogues dedicated to her favorite items.

GETTY IMAGES FOR MERCEDES-BENZ F
Jenna Lyons with Solange Knowles at the J.Crew Spring 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Lyons has appeared in magazines like Glamour, InStyle and Lucky and has even been on "Oprah" in a segment filmed in her closet. Forbes magazine said that she reached "icon status comparable to the likes of superstar designers like Donna Karan and Miuccia Prada."
Lyons' family life has long been part of her story. She married artist Vincent Mazeau in 2002 in a ceremony that was covered in New York magazine.
"Vincent and I envisioned a black-tie barbecue for our wedding," Lyons said alongside photos of her in an easy, breezy wedding dress and Mazeau in a kilt.
The couple's townhouse in Park Slope has been frequently photographed, and become an object of lust for many a New Yorker. "My trick has been to approach each area like putting together an outfit," Lyons told Living Etc. "You might start with an old pair of jeans, a cashmere cardigan, or a floral belt, and work around that central fashion statement."
Earlier this year, Mazeau shot photos of Lyons and their son Beckett, 5, around the house for a J.Crew feature called "Saturday with Jenna." One of the images showed Lyons' painting her son's toes hot pink. A scandal erupted, with newscasters dissecting the image and claiming Lyons was sending confusing gender messages to her son. Jon Stewart jokingly dubbed the incident "Toemaggedon."
"I’m not surprised that [Beckett] was interested in what I was doing," Lyons told New York magazine. "My God, my toes went from white to hot pink — it was very exciting."
Originally from Palos Verdes, Calif., Lyons came to New York in 1987 to study at Parsons. In 1990, she started at J.Crew -- then a small upstart. By 2007, she had worked her way up to creative director. In 2009 she earned $750,000 and was given bonuses and benefits bringing her total pay to $4.2 million, according to reports. Last year, she was named company president.
Earlier today, Page Six reported that Lyons and Mazeau split this summer, and that divorce proceedings are getting contentious. Mazeau is seeking custody of Beckett, as well as the couple's townhouse and a large settlement, arguing that he put the breaks on his career to stay home with their son. Meanwhile, Lyons friends say she supported his career and gave him a financially comfortable life. Lyons is reportedly in love again, this time with a woman.
J.Crew would not respond to whispers of the split.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/all_about_jenna_lyons_us3sBAN6gxlENValJysmoI#ixzz1bqQeYGrP

http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2011/10/25/pagesix/web_photos/124851480150409--300x450.jpg

Northern Lights glow over U.S. skies

Thanks to a massive solar storm, the Northern Lights made a rare appearance over the United States Monday night, turning the sky an eerie pink and green in Michigan and much of the Southeastern U.S. — including the Washington area.


The Aurora Borealis, as seen over Michigan. (Image via YouTube ) Also known as the Aurora Borealis, the light show in the sky arrived some eight hours earlier than expected, spilling over the Canadian border just as night fell over North America, according to SpaceWeather.com.

The Aurora Borealis is a rare sight in the skies above the U.S. But when the lights appeared on Sept. 2, 1859 over Boston, Pittsburgh, and Portland, the New York Times reported it was “so brilliant that at about one o'clock [a.m.] ordinary print could be read by the light.”

One person in East Michigan captured Monday’s spectacular light show and made the following time-lapse video:


The Northern Lights are caused by charged solar particles colliding with atoms in the upper atmosphere near the North Pole.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy vs. Len Goodman: Who Is Dancing's Alpha Male?

Len Goodman and pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy engaged in some verbal jousting on Monday's Dancing with the Stars, ratcheting up the tension between the show's head judge and the ballroom's bad boy. Maks lashed out after receiving 20 out of 30 points for his routine with partner Hope Solo. When Goodman called it her "worst dance of the season," Maks suggested Goodman has been in the business too long. "Maybe it's time to go," he said.

When the two come face-to-face again on Tuesday's results show, there's bound to be tension – but which one is the true Dancing heavyweight? Here, a comparison between the ballroom's brawlers:

Total years in the biz
Maks: About 27 (age 31)
Len: About 50 (age 67)

Seasons on the show
Len: 13
Maks: 11 (Maks sat out season 1 and season 6)

In their corners
Maks: While he's a character fans love to hate, he also manages to charm people with his fiery, loveable-rogue side (not to mention his apparent allergy to shirt buttons). "Maks is really funny. He's actually pretty easy if you tell him you love him all the time," his partner last season, Kirstie Alley, has said, adding, "We always have chemistry."

Len: The respected judge, who often gets boos in the ballroom, speaks his mind and doesn't pull punches – but it's clear he's only trying to help Dancing's stars, as Derek Hough pointed out Tuesday.

"I feel like the judges have been incredibly generous," Hough said after Maks's outburst. "But we're all very emotional."

Wins & Honors
Len: Specializing in the "exhibition" form of ballroom, he's been a professional dancer and teacher. He runs a dance school in his hometown of Kent, England. He's won the British Exhibition four times and was the runner up in the Exhibition World Championships.

He's won the British Rising Star Award, the Carl Allen Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award. He's had success judging the Latin American and Ballroom professional dance competition and the World and British Championships.

Maks: The Latin dancer has choreographed for director Franco Dragone's Las Vegas show, Le Rêve, and performed in the Broadway show Burn the Floor.

He is also the 2005 Yankee Classic Professional Latin Champion, the 2004 Manhattan Dancesport Professional Latin Champion and the 2003 Ohio Star Ball Latin Champion, according to his bio. Though he's never won a mirror-ball trophy on DWTS, he came closest in seasons 5 and 12, placing second with partners Mel B and Kirstie Alley.

Memorable quotes:
Maks: "I know my assets so I don't have a problem opening my shirt. I notice women looking at my chest all the time. If you want to look at my chest, go ahead."

Len: "You come out and show me a proper dance. I'm fed up, Maks, with shirts coming off."

Who do you think is Dancings top dog?
Len. He should be respected
Maksim. He's defending his partner

Vikings’ Chris Cook charged with felony domestic assault for allegedly strangling girlfriend

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was charged Tuesday with trying to strangle his girlfriend, leaving her with a bloody nose and lip in an alleged attack that jeopardizes his status with the team.

Cook was charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

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(Michael Dwyer, File/Associated Press) - FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2010, file photo, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook wears headphones before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. Police have arrested Cook on domestic battery charges that could cause him to miss this weekend’s game against the Green Bay Packers. Eden Prairie police spokeswoman Katie Beal says the 24-year-old was arrested without incident after someone called 911 around 2 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, to report hearing people across the street yelling and screaming.

The 24-year-old Cook was arrested early Saturday and released from custody Tuesday on $40,000 bail.

He is barred from contact with the alleged victim and cannot leave Minnesota, which would prevent him from traveling with the Vikings to Sunday’s game at Carolina.

Cook has a court appearance set for Wednesday afternoon.

According to the complaint, Cook became upset early Saturday when he found out his girlfriend of 10 months had spoken to an ex-boyfriend.

The woman told police Cook threw her on the bed at his home near the team’s suburban headquarters in Eden Prairie, got on top of her, and grabbed her neck with an open hand, constricting her ability to breathe.

The complaint said the woman freed herself by grabbing Cook’s hair, which he wears in shoulder-length dreadlocks. Cook then struck her in the ear, sending her crashing into a wall. As the woman ran to the living room, he grabbed her neck again and squeezed it.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said at a news conference that Cook answered the door to the house and officers found the woman with a bloody nose and upper lip. She had marks on her neck and hemorrhaging in her eye, Freeman said, consistent with victims of strangulation. State guidelines call for a sentence of a year and a day, he said.

Cook’s attorney, David Valentini, told reporters his client was “of course” remorseful and “not happy” about the situation.

“He’s upset that he was sitting there. He’s upset he missed the game. And he’s upset for the whole incident,” Valentini said.

Cook apologized Tuesday on his Twitter account to the fans, Vikings ownership and the coaching staff, his teammates and friends and family and said, “There’s always two sides to a story!!”

Earlier this year, Cook was found not guilty of brandishing a firearm after allegedly pulling a gun on a neighbor in Virginia. Freeman noted that case but said, “As far as we’re concerned, there’s no record.”

Freeman also said he’s unaware of any prior abuse in the relationship. But a recent amendment to state law makes the case against Cook more serious. The penalty for domestic abuse strangulation was enhanced to a felony in 2005.

“Before the law was changed, you could strangle someone nearly to death and the most serious thing you could be charged with was a misdemeanor punishable by at most 90 days in jail,” said Minneapolis attorney Susan Gaertner, who helped spearhead the legislation while serving as Ramsey County attorney. “There was a great deal of research showing that an incident of strangulation is a huge red flag that a pattern of violence is escalating.”

Freeman said his office has prosecuted more than 20 of these cases this year.

“It’s a precursor in tragically too many cases to more serious events,” Freeman said.

He said the alleged victim has been cooperating with the investigation.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier spoke with Cook during the offseason to reiterate the importance of staying out of trouble off the field, and the second-year player emerged as the team’s best in pass coverage. At 6-foot-2, he has the size to match up with taller receivers and the speed to keep up with smaller ones.

But while the Vikings fell to 1-6 in losing to Green Bay Sunday, Cook was in the county jail a few blocks away. His absence forced cornerbacks Asher Allen and Marcus Sherels into more significant playing time.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is reviewing the matter. Such charges often bring suspensions, per the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Vikings officials didn’t respond Tuesday to requests for comment.

Sweat Lodge Follower Speaks Out Woman says James Arthur Ray was a "gifted teacher" Source: Sweat Lodge Follower Speaks Out | NBC San Diego

For years, a San Diego woman was in inner circle of a man who police said lead a group into a sweat lodge that later killed three people.
James Arthur Ray faced three counts of manslaughter for the deaths of three people during a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in 2009.
Two years ago, when Connie Joy found out something had gone horribly wrong with Ray's sweat lodge, she wasn't surprised.
She said she tried to warn others and even Ray the sweat lodge was too dangerous. And now she said she’s lucky to be alive.
Joy was like the many people who came in contact with Ray.
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“He was a gifted teacher,” Joy said.
She met him in 2007 at a seminar in San Diego and where she and her husband became instantly drawn to the charismatic man they believed could help change their lives.
"He had a skill and that's the sad thing,” Joy said. “He had a gift and the gift was to take a lot of different information and merge it together in a way that people could understand.”
Joy and her husband attended 27 seminars and events between 2007 and 2009.
They became charter members of Ray's World Wealth Society, in which they paid $75,000 dues.
Joy said Ray would challenge his followers to do things they didn't think they were capable of.
"Eventually your walking on fire, eventually your bending a rebar with your throat, eventually your snapping arrows with your throat or your breaking concrete bricks.”
After her sweat lodge experience Joy tried to tell Ray it was too dangerous, however, he didn't listen.
"I was done. I was more than done. I was feeling sick and I'm thinking to myself, wait a minute. He's going to do more rounds. This is not ok.”
Joy and her husband were supposed to be inside the sweat lodge in Sedona. But just two weeks before the incident, they decided to cut ties with Ray.
“You look at it and wish. What could we have done? Had we been there would we have had the nerve to rip the covers off the tarps. You know James is a hard man to defy. “


Source: Sweat Lodge Follower Speaks Out | NBC San Diego

Albert Pujols, Quarterback

To hear some tell it, Albert Pujols isn’t just the best player on the St. Louis Cardinals – he’s also their manager, G.M. and resident VIP. What Monday proved is that he isn’t clairvoyant.


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Albert Pujols
After 11 years as the Cards’ centerpiece, Pujols is granted wide leeway. Manager Tony La Russa admitted just how much Tuesday afternoon, acknowledging that Pujols was responsible for a key hit-and-run gone wrong. That play cost the Cardinals a key baserunner in a tight, tied Game 5 that Texas won to stand one win away from its first World Series title.

St. Louis had Allen Craig on first base with one out in the top of the seventh and Pujols at the plate in a 1-0 count. The Cardinals put on a hit-and-run play – a potentially dangerous move, with Craig’s average speed against catcher Mike Napoli’s strong arm.

If the hit-and-run worked, Pujols would swing the bat, put the ball in play, and bail out Craig. But Rangers reliever Alexei Ogando threw the pitch high, and Pujols couldn’t make contact with it – making Craig a sitting duck thrown out at second base with five feet to spare. The Cardinals had lost a golden opportunity at an important time.

Initially, after Monday’s game, La Russa wouldn’t divulge where the botched play came from – strange enough, because it nearly always comes from the manager himself. Then, in the clubhouse, Pujols told reporters that he called the hit-and-run – saying it was called “by me. Is that a problem?”

La Russa backed up his slugger’s account. While it is an extreme rarity for a player to audible to his own plays in the batter’s box, Pujols has had the ability to call his own hit-and-run plays for three or four years, and the manager said he’s earned it.

“Albert has that ability,” La Russa said. “Picked a 1-0 pitch, Ogando threw it out of the strike zone, and it didn’t work. But it has nothing to do with Albert having special privileges or not being as great as all of us have seen him be for years, and a lot of us that know him on a daily basis say he is.”

In football or basketball, quarterbacks or point guards have wide leeway to dictate game action. In baseball, the pitchers and catchers have much the same authority in the field. But it’s very rare to see a hitter have the ability to change strategy on the fly.

Pujols isn’t the first La Russa player given hit-and-run authority, the manager said. When Edgar Renteria was a Cardinal, he could dial them up himself. And La Russa mentioned contemporaries from when he played in the 1960s who could call their own plays, like former Cardinals shortstop Alvin Dark.

“Whenever I’ve been a manager and a player has a real good feel, and can handle the bat and he wanted to be able to put a play on, he’s been given that right,” La Russa said.

It turns out Pujols may need some more practice exercising his special authority. La Russa said calling the hit-and-run there was a mistake – he never would have gone for that move.

“If he would have asked me, I would have said, ‘Don’t put it on,’ because they’re obviously being very careful with him. You can’t really expect the ball to be around the plate.”

Pujols’s powers also underscore how important a presence he is on this team, where he is more than a leader – he is something of a limited partner in the decision-making, alongside La Russa. Sometimes the two confer in the dugout together over proper tactics before a key at-bat.

“The way it works is that quite often when he’s going to bat, he’ll stop by and he’ll ask, ‘Hey, I’m thinking hit-and-run, what do you think?’” La Russa said.

Pujols and the Cardinals are engaged in a power struggle of sorts off the field. Pujols wants a huge new contract, and the Cardinals are angling to keep him without paying the world to do so.

But there are few other options for Pujols. The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are set at first base, taking away three key big-market suitors. The Cardinals are most likely his best option. Whatever he might give back in dollars, he’d be guaranteed to keep the clubhouse presence and authority he’s used to having.

'Gold Rush Alaska' Season 2 strikes Discovery

Who doesn't dream of finding gold and striking it rich? Especially as children, we're repeatedly told wild tales of gold mines, buried treasure, and shiny nuggets for the taking. I remember cherishing "Fool's Gold" (the lookalike mineral pyrite) and vowing one day to scour the western hills for my own rewards.


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Alas, I have little time for digging these days, but I do enjoy — along with millions of other viewers — tuning in to Discovery's hit series "Gold Rush Alaska" for a fix. The reality show, which averaged an impressive 3.78 million viewers per episode last year, follows six men, laid off from work, who attempt to strike it rich in Porcupine Creek, Alaska.

“This group of everyday men have harnessed their hopes and dreams and combined it with ferocity of spirit in an attempt to rekindle the American Dream for their families," Discovery said. "'Gold Rush Alaska' reflects what many Americans are feeling right now, and it’s clearly struck a chord with our audience.”

Season 2, which kicks off this Friday at 9 p.m. EST, features the crew once again putting everything on the line as they struggle to overcome the mistakes of their rookie season and pull some meaningful worth from the earth. Last year's haul resulted in only $20,000 of gold.

To catch fans up on what's been happening in between seasons (as well as rope in new viewers), Discovery will air an "Off-Season" special. From the release:

It's the mining off-season and Todd Hoffman and his father Jack have some big decisions to make. After finding just $20,000 in gold their rookie mining season, they've had to scrape through the winter in Oregon. But the Hoffmans aren't ones to give up. Instead, they decide to double their chances of striking it rich and secure a second mining claim.

Just days before the start of the season, as they pack up to hunt for gold at both Porcupine Creek and Klondike sites, they get some disastrous news: the water license for their Klondike claim — essential to run a mining operation — did not come through. Their dream of a second mine in the Klondike is over before it started. Todd breaks the news to his crew, and they set off to Alaska with only the old Porcupine Creek claim to mine.

Pete Seeger, grandson Occupy Wall Street in long tradition of activism

Tao Rodriguez-Seeger was halfway through Friday night’s march down Broadway to support the Occupy Wall Street movement, a guitar strapped over his shoulder and his grandfather Pete Seeger at his side. Suddenly a New York City police officer stepped from the crowd and grabbed his elbow.

“Are you Tao Seeger?” the officer asked tersely. “Was this your idea? Did you think of this?”

Rodriguez-Seeger, a New Orleans-based musician, was certain arrest was imminent. The officer reached for his hand and he readied for the cuffs. Then something unexpected happened.

“He shook my hand and said, ‘Thank you, thank you. This is beautiful,’” Rodriguez-Seeger said. “That really did it for me. The cops recognized what we were about.”

That moment affirmed the message that his grandfather has preached tirelessly across nine decades. The causes and movements have changed from time to time over 75 years, but his message has always been the same: Song is the key to understanding and change.

“Music does something to you,” Rodriguez-Seeger said. “It can cross rivers of meaning that entire books can’t get across. ... You take any one of Bob Dylan’s songs and you get to the heart of the matter where it took Homer volumes and volumes of books to get to the same point.”

Today, Pete Seeger is approaching the far end of a life lived walking hand in hand with American history, often at odds with the government that runs things. It failed to shut him up. The courts had no chance. Changing tastes and values? Never. Even time seems to have taken a step back in deference to the musical rabble-rouser’s resolve and determination.

This time around, the 92-year-old Seeger was carried along by two canes, not the sound of his banjo. But his presence, in a crowd of nearly 1,000 with guitar players and chanting sign-holders and police swirling around, gave the new protest movement something it seemed to lack over the last month.

A momentary clarity, longtime friend Guy Davis thinks. A purpose. A direction.

“It’s his humanity,” Davis said.

Seeger’s voice first rose in the 1930s against Hitler. He met Woody Guthrie, Alan Lomax and Lead Belly, and began to advocate for migrant workers and miners in the 1940s. He stared down Sen. Joseph McCarthy and endured a blacklisting he simply shrugged away. In middle age, he was a key figure in the folk revival that produced Dylan and, later, the protests that helped shape modern America.

Seeger still takes delight in lending his presence to important things, even if his voice doesn’t carry like it used to. He found himself attracted to the studied inorganization of the Wall Street protesters.

“Be wary of great leaders,” he said Sunday in a phone interview full of songs and stories when asked what he identifies with in the Occupy Wall Street message. “Hope that there are many, many small leaders.”

Other than the canes and snowy beard, Seeger hasn’t changed much since he began singing out against fascism in the mid-1930s after dropping out of Harvard in frustration.

“The sociology professor said, ‘Don’t think that you can change the world. The only thing you can do is study it,’” Seeger said. “... But this was 1937 and Hitler had taken power. He was murdering people and was ready to go to war.”

You could say Seeger inherited his activism. His great-great grandfather came to America seeking self-determination after reading the Declaration of Independence. His great-grandfather was an abolitionist. His father was a socialist who spoke out against World War I.

His views didn’t always make him popular. He was a member of the Communist Party, something he later apologized for. He was initially for staying out of World War II, but changed his mind when Hitler broke his nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union. He also spoke out against the war in Vietnam, a move that got him censored on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” and visited North Vietnam in 1972.

Seeger’s influence is incalculable, however. He’s the rare artist whose music and message transcends time, speaking to his children and their children and on and on.

The son of a musicologist and a violinist, he began leading others in song at 8 and was introduced to protest music around 12. Early on, he saw beauty and possibility in traditional songs often considered regional hokum or race records unfit for an upstanding white audience.

His message found an eager audience in the young generation of kids who would go on to define rock ‘n’ roll, changing American and world culture in myriad ways. He introduced Martin Luther King Jr. to “We Shall Overcome.” In his hands, songs like “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” and “Turn, Turn, Turn!” became galvanizing anthems.

He remains a voice for the disenfranchised — the poor of Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta and victims of racism and greed.

Kira Moyer-Sims, a 19-year-old participant in the Occupy Wall Street movement, was introduced to Seeger’s music on mix CDs from her high-school social studies teacher. Those songs, from a time that seems far away in the age of the iPod, spoke to her with modern urgency and helped push her into the protest ranks.

“Hearing this new music for me was huge and made me realize totally the importance of our nation’s history and the fact that we can change it if we want to,” she said. “Seeing Pete Seeger there in solidarity with the thing I’ve been living the past 38 days ... was phenomenal for me.”

The idea of protesting for progressive change seemed to have gone out of vogue in the U.S. — or at least disappeared from public view. After the flower children moved on to mid-life and minivans, Americans turned their focus inward. Fewer people had time for simple songs with complex meanings.

Rodriguez-Seeger said he was attracted to the nascent Occupy Wall Street movement when he joined a support march two weeks ago in Las Vegas. He was drawn to the anti-establishment message but noticed immediately that something was missing.

“I saw a lot of people getting angry at us for marching, getting out of their SUVs and giving us the finger and screaming obscenities” and using anti-gay slurs, Rodriguez-Seeger said. “I thought, if we were singing right now my gut tells me they’d be less inclined to behave like that because it’s very difficult when you’re hearing music to get that angry.”

Davis, a 59-year-old Bronx bluesman who has been friends with the Seegers for 50 years, saw more than a little something of the grandfather in the grandson when he looked over at the pair Friday night. Rodriguez-Seeger helped organize the march, which came together in 30 hours and was driven for the most part by social-media sites like Twitter, Facebook and now YouTube, where dozens of videos mark the night.

“Pete is seeing his life come to fruition,” Davis said. “He is seeing the fruits of his labors. All the years he invested in Tao, all the years I used to see him take Tao around when Tao was just a teenager, have paid off beautifully.”

And the grandfather doesn’t mind the fact that a new generation of Seegers is lifting its voice, even as he gladly slides into the background. Pete Seeger, in fact, says he’s a little bemused by all the attention.

“Of course it’s a great honor, but I’d just as soon be anonymous,” he said. He would like to go down to Zuccotti Park, the heart of the movement, but he hopes he can just do it on the sly without the star power. Maybe next week on Halloween. “I won’t be recognized,” he muses. “Everybody will be in costume.”

US Officials Back Indonesian Stand Against Papua Independence

Analysts say U.S. support for Indonesia's strong stand against Papuan separatists puts added pressure on the independence movement to seek a negotiated settlement. But there are concerns that the U.S. is not putting equal pressure on the Indonesian side to peacefully resolve the conflict.

While visiting Indonesia, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated the U.S. commitment to closer ties with Indonesia and voiced support for Indonesia's strong stance against a separatist movement in the eastern province of Papua.

But U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell says the warming relationship has not stopped the U.S. from speaking out against possible human rights abuses by the military in Papua.

"We have made very clear where there are allegations of abuse or problems associated with excessive violence," said Campbell. "We want those circumstances thoroughly explored. And if there is indeed cause for subsequent remedial action, we would expect a legal process to be followed accordingly."

A number of violent incidents in Papua have escalated tensions in the region, including recent shootings that killed six people in connection with a labor strike at the Freeport gold and copper mine. In another incident, more than 300 people were arrested at a political rally and congress where separatists proclaimed their independence from Indonesia. Indonesian military forces beat the protestors with rattan canes and batons, and six activists were charged with treason.

Muridan Widjojo, a researcher with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences who has been involved in organizing peace talks in Papua, says the strong government response to the independence movement will put pressure on Papuans to return to the negotiating table.

"In the long run they will see that the only possible way to deal with their problem by using the means of dialogue," said Widjojo. "So they have tried the congress. They have to declare literally Papua independence and they will learn from this experience."

Rich in natural resources West Papua is one of the poorest regions in Indonesia. Separatists have called for independence from Indonesia for decades. The Indonesian government has granted the region some autonomy, and its leaders say they are willing to give Papuans more local control, but independence is out of the question.

Alexandra Wulan, a researcher with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, says the U.S. has little choice but to support Indonesia's promise to negotiate a peaceful settlement, because Washington needs Indonesia's support to counter China's growing influence in the region.

"At the moment they really need the support of the Indonesian government," said Wulan. "Therefore, they have to put aside the issues of human rights. And of course giving assurance to the Indonesian government that they have their back, I mean the U.S. has the Indonesian back in this case of Papua."

But she says the Indonesian side has lacked leadership on resolving the region's problems.

Campbell says despite the sensitivity of the topic, the U.S. has voiced concerns to Indonesian officials on human rights issues and the slow pace of progress in the region.

"I think there needs to be a deeper set of discussions about development, about the aspirations of local populations and I think there needs to be a clear sign of a determination on both sides to be able to deal with the very real problems that exist on the ground today," Campbell said.

He says the policy of engagement with the Indonesian military has actually given the U.S. some access and leverage to promote human rights in the region.