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
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Many Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr fight Bob Arum says maybe…
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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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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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
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
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.
“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.
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
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
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
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.
[+] Enlarge
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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DIA update:
This airport has been deicing aircraft since 26/06:01.
this morning.
"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.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
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.
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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/
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