elevation seltzer: February 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Hessel, France's surprise elder icon, dies at 95

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 file photo shows Stephane Hessel during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris, France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

FILE - This Jan. 19, 2012, file photo shows Stephane Hessel sharing a laugh at the end of a debate on the topic "France, reasons for hope", as part of French presidential candidate Francois Hollande's campaign visit, in Nantes, western France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011, file photo shows Stephane Hessel during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris, France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/ Francois Mori, File)

PARIS (AP) ? Stephane Hessel of France was a man of many talents.

As a spy for the French Resistance, he survived the Nazi death camp at Buchenwald by assuming the identity of a French prisoner who was already dead. As a diplomat, he helped write the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And at age 93, after a distinguished but relatively anonymous life, he published a slim pamphlet that even he expected would be little more than a vanity project.

Au contraire.

Hessel's 32-page "Time for Outrage" sold millions of copies across Europe, tapping into a vein of popular discontent with capitalism and transforming him into an intellectual superstar within weeks. Translated into English, the pocket-sized book became a source of inspiration for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

In the book, Hessel urges young people to take inspiration from the anti-Nazi resistance to which he once belonged and rally against what he saw as the newest evil: The love of money.

The book, called "Indignez-vous" in French, had an initial run of 8,000 copies in 2010 and sold for ?3 ($4) before becoming a best-seller.

Hessel died overnight in Paris. He was 95.

"I'm eagerly awaiting the taste of death. Death is something to savor, and I hope to savor mine. In the meantime, given that it has not yet happened and that I'm generally getting around normally, I'm using the time to throw out some messages," Hessel told RTL radio in 2011.

Born in Germany, Hessel and his parents immigrated to France in 1924, where they settled into an avant-garde life, hanging out with artists like Alexander Calder and Marcel Duchamp.

Hessel fled to London to join the resistance led by Gen. Charles de Gaulle in 1941, but snuck back into occupied France on a spying mission in 1944, where he was arrested by the Gestapo and shipped off to the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp. The day before he was to be hanged, he swapped his identity with another French prisoner who had died of typhus.

As a French diplomat after World War II, Hessel joined a panel that included former U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt which wrote up the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Hessel "leaves us with the invaluable heritage of fighting for universal human values and his inalienable sense of liberty," Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said Wednesday.

A proud Socialist, Hessel said the aim of "Time for Outrage" was to convince adrift or discouraged young people that they can change society for the better ? even if they feel the world is controlled by entrenched and financially powerful interests. But he hardly expected it would find a large audience in France, much less elsewhere.

Hessel said he purposely offered no solutions.

"I am not giving them a meaning, but I am saying: 'Do try to find for yourself what would be meaningful.'"

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Hessel had succeeded in that goal.

"In France, in Europe, in the world, Stephane Hessel was the spirit of resistance incarnate," he said. "For every generation, for young people, he was a source of inspiration but also a reference. At 95, he embodied faith in the future of this new century."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-27-France-Obit-Hessel/id-56b7e98801d248a895d73132fc4fb935

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Derek Fisher returns to Oklahoma City Thunder

Derek Fisher became the third point guard in the Oklahoma City Thunder line up. Derek Fisher won five NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.

By Staff,?Associated Press / February 26, 2013

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher (37) seen here last year during the NBA finals basketball series against the Miami Heat in Oklahoma City. The Thunder signed veteran Derek Fisher again on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, FIle)

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The Oklahoma City Thunder signed veteran Derek?Fisher on Monday, filling an opening for a third point guard that was created when Eric Maynor got traded to Portland.

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Fisher joins Oklahoma City for the stretch run for the second straight season. He played in 20 regular-season games and then all 20 playoff games last season. He played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks this season, asking for his release in December after injuring his right knee.

Why bring Fisher back? " For a team that expects to make another deep playoff run, entering the postseason with only two lead guards would have been risky. Fisher also brings stability to the position in the event that Jackson, still in just his second season, struggles under the playoff spotlight," writes?Darnell Mayberry, of the Oklahoman.

Fisher won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers before getting traded to Houston last season, then buying his way out of his contract with the Rockets.

Fisher is also the president of the NBA Players Association, which recently ousted longtime executive director Billy Hunter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder was helped to victory by some terrible Chicago shooting, beating the Bulls 102-72 on Sunday in a surprisingly one-sided contest.

Russell Westbrook scored 23 points and Kevin Durant had 19 points and 16 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which moved 6-1/2 games clear atop the Northwest Division.

The Thunder, who had allowed an average of 113 points over their previous four games, broke out of a rough defensive patch by limiting Chicago to 29.1 percent shooting. Midway through the third quarter, Chicago had missed 44 of its 55 shots.

O.C. led 61-39 at that point, and the margin reached 32 with both teams' starters sitting out the fourth quarter.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/72x5mKKhwl0/Derek-Fisher-returns-to-Oklahoma-City-Thunder

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Higher levels of several toxic metals found in children with autism

Feb. 25, 2013 ? In a recently published study in the journal Biological Trace Element Research, Arizona State University researchers report that children with autism had higher levels of several toxic metals in their blood and urine compared to typical children. The study involved 55 children with autism ages 5-16 years compared to 44 controls of similar age and gender.

The autism group had significantly higher levels of lead in their red blood cells (+41 percent) and significantly higher urinary levels of lead (+74 percent), thallium (+77 percent), tin (+115 percent), and tungsten (+44 percent). Lead, thallium, tin, and tungsten are toxic metals that can impair brain development and function, and also interfere with the normal functioning of other body organs and systems.

A statistical analysis was conducted to determine if the levels of toxic metals were associated with autism severity, using three different scales of autism severity. It was found that 38-47 percent of the variation of autism severity was associated with the level of several toxic metals, with cadmium and mercury being the most strongly associated.

In the paper about the study, the authors state "We hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help ameliorate symptoms of autism, and treatment to remove toxic metals may reduce symptoms of autism; these hypotheses need further exploration, as there is a growing body of research to support it."

The study was led by James Adams, a President's Professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, one of ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He directs the ASU Autism/Asperger's Research Program.

Adams previously published a study on the use of DMSA, an FDA-approved medication for removing toxic metals. The open-label study found that DMSA was generally safe and effective at removing some toxic metals. It also found that DMSA therapy improved some symptoms of autism. The biggest improvement was for children with the highest levels of toxic metals in their urine.

Overall, children with autism have higher average levels of several toxic metals, and levels of several toxic metals are strongly associated with variations in the severity of autism for all three of the autism severity scales investigated.

The study was funded by the Autism Research Institute and the Legacy Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Arizona State University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

James B. Adams, Tapan Audhya, Sharon McDonough-Means, Robert A. Rubin, David Quig, Elizabeth Geis, Eva Gehn, Melissa Loresto, Jessica Mitchell, Sharon Atwood, Suzanne Barnhouse, Wondra Lee. Toxicological Status of Children with Autism vs. Neurotypical Children and the Association with Autism Severity. Biological Trace Element Research, 2012; 151 (2): 171 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-012-9551-1

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/N71YjoJQ-TM/130225162231.htm

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Monday, February 25, 2013

British cardinal rejects "inappropriate behaviour" allegations

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, a cardinal expected to take part in the conclave to choose the next pope, rejected allegations on Sunday that he had behaved in an "inappropriate" way with other priests.

The Observer newspaper said Cardinal Keith O'Brien, 74, the archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, who is known for outspoken views on homosexuality, had been reported to the Vatican over allegations of inappropriate behaviour stretching back 30 years.

"Cardinal O'Brien contests these claims and is taking legal advice," a spokesman for the cardinal said.

Three priests and a former priest, from a Scottish diocese, have complained to the Vatican and demanded O'Brien's immediate resignation, the newspaper said, adding that they wanted the conclave to choose Pope Benedict's successor to be "clean".

The Observer gave little detail on the allegations but said one complainant had said O'Brien made an inappropriate approach after night prayers. Another priest complained of unwanted behaviour by O'Brien after a late-night drinking session.

Last week, O'Brien advocated allowing Catholic priests to marry as many found it difficult to cope with celibacy.

His comments last year labelling gay marriage a "grotesque subversion" landed him with a "Bigot of the Year" award from gay rights group Stonewall.

The Catholic Church's handling of the sexual abuse of children and others by priests has dogged the papacy of Benedict, who is due to step down on Thursday after becoming the first pope in centuries to choose to resign.

The next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will be chosen by 117 cardinals in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

Almost 10,000 people have signed a petition urging a U.S. cardinal not to take part in selecting the next pope, saying to do so would insult victims of sexual abuse by priests committed while he was Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-cardinal-rejects-inappropriate-behaviour-allegations-141513931.html

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

'Argo' hero: Affleck better thank Canadians

By Natalie Finn, E!Online

It's a little late to hurt Argo's Oscar chances at this point, but Ken Taylor doesn't intend to let the Ben Affleck-directed film win Best Picture in peace this Sunday.?

Pinpointing historical inaccuracies in this year's crop of Oscar nominees has been quite the sport these days, be it the wrong senator voting against the 13th Amendment in Lincoln or the major uproar from Washington, D.C., over the torture depicted in Zero Dark Thirty.

And, albeit somewhat more quietly and politely, Taylor--the former Canadian ambassador to Iran played by Victor Garber in the film--has been banging the drum for what he perceived to be a huge slight toward his role (and his country's) in the rescue of six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979.

Ben Affleck talks Argo's Oscar prospects

"In the movie, Canada and Ottawa didn't exist," Taylor told the New York Times' Carpetbagger blog. "It's a great film, it's great. But at the same time, it was a Canadian story that's been, all of sudden, totally taken over by the Americans. Totally."

"I don't want to be hard on Tony Mendez," he added, referencing the CIA agent played by Affleck who led the covert op. "I want to give him all the credit I can. But at the same time, I'm a Canadian, and enough is enough."

Taylor also told the Associated Press today that it would be "a further reflection" on Affleck if Argo wins Best Picture and he fails to thank the Canadians who played such a huge role in the real-life version of events.

See the 10 best-dressed stars ever at the Oscars

Jimmy Carter, who was president of the United States at the time, said on Piers Morgan Tonight yesterday that, while he was hoping for a big night for Argo at the Oscars, "Ben Affleck's character in the film...was only in--stayed in--Iran a day and a half. And the main hero, in my opinion, was Ken Taylor, who was the Canadian ambassador who orchestrated the entire process."

Taylor, who says he was not invited to Argo's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival last year, said during a talk at Toronto's Ryerson University on Feb. 14 that, "after I saw the movie, I decided that I did bring one particular skill to this movie, that was opening and closing a door.

"We could go on, but the amusing side is the script writer in Hollywood had no idea what he's talking about."?

Don't miss Ben Affleck's first short film--it's "atrocious!"

The 78-year-old Taylor did attend a special screening of Argo in L.A. and was interviewed for the bonus features on the DVD and Blu-ray, which came out Tuesday, and he says he was able to address the issues he had regarding Argo's depiction of the Iranian people and other discrepancies he perceived.

With only a few nights to go till the Oscars and with SAG, DGA, PGA and Golden Globe Awards under his belt (to name a few) so far, Affleck wrote to the Carbetbagger that he's "surprised to hear that Ken still has issues about the film, as the last time we had contact was a few weeks ago when Ken asked me to narrate a documentary about the Iran hostage crisis that he is prominently featured in."

See all the films nominated for Best Picture heading into the 2013 Oscars?

"There would be a very compelling film that is primarily about the heroism of ambassador Taylor before Tony Mendez even hears about the crisis--and, in fact, that film already exists (1981's Escape From Iran: The Canadian Caper--starring Gordon Pinsent)," Affleck added. "We weren't interested in remaking that film."

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Slovenia's Tina Maze clinches World Cup title

Slovenia's Tina Maze celebrates after winning an alpine ski, women's world cup super-combined, in Meribel, France, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo//Marco Trovati)

Slovenia's Tina Maze celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women's world cup super-combined, in Meribel, France, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo//Marco Trovati)

Slovenia's Tina Maze performs a cartwheel as she celebrates after winning an alpine ski, women's world cup super-combined, in Meribel, France, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo//Marco Trovati)

MERIBEL, France (AP) ? There was only one fitting way for Tina Maze to wrap up the overall World Cup title ? with another victory, and with plenty of time to spare.

She clinched her first crystal globe Sunday by winning a super-combined for eighth win of the season. So overpowering was her season that she clinched the overall trophy with nine races to go.

"It's really special because it's so difficult to win. For me, it's special to continue this level of skiing," said Maze, who celebrated with a cartwheel. "To be on the top is amazing. It's a great season for me. Even if there have been ups and downs I have always come back."

To Maze, it was also the perfect response to doubters back home in Slovenia. Some mocked her for having the audacity to dream about becoming the world's best skier.

"I think the people are realizing that the dream came true, that one year ago they were saying 'Ah, this Maze, she's making jokes when she says she will win a globe or something like that. Yeah, she's full of herself' and these kinds of things," Maze said. "In Slovenia, it's (the) mentality. It's better to be sometimes (more mainstream) than to go out (and be different) from the majority.

"I didn't want to be like everybody else. So I'm always looking for something else, something better, something different and I'm really proud of that."

Maze led the downhill and coasted home in the slalom after Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out of contention. She tied a season record with her 18th top-three finish, matching the podium mark set by Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden and Hanni Wenzel of Liechtenstein.

"I'm an emotional person, I didn't want to cry (on the podium)," Maze said, adding she felt sick before the slalom. "I went to the toilet six times before I started. A lot of people (were) sick and I guess I get something from them, too."

Maze has 1,844 points in the overall standings and looks all but certain to break the season record ?men or women ? of 2,000 held by Austrian great Hermann Maier.

Hoefl-Riesch is second in the overall standings but is 958 points behind and has no chance of closing the gap. Each victory is worth 100 points.

Lindsey Vonn, the four-time overall winner and defending champion, fell out of contention after she took a monthlong break because of an intestinal illness and then was done for the season after a knee injury at the world championships. Vonn is still third overall with 740 points.

"I'm really tired now, especially after a long day like today," the 29-year-old Maze said. "Today was so tough, I didn't know where I was. I almost went off the course twice. But I just managed to catch the gates. It's crazy."

She is also seeking to become only the third woman to have at least one win in all five disciplines in one season, and lacks only a downhill victory. She had a chance Saturday but finished fourth. She has two downhills remaining, starting next week in the German resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Vonn won 12 races last season and Maze has a chance of matching that, although Swiss great Vreni Schneider's single-season World Cup record of 14 wins appears out of sight.

Nicole Hosp of Austria, the world championship bronze medalist in the super-combi, finished second. Countrywoman Michaela Kirchgasser took third place with a superb slalom run ? 42.66 seconds to Maze's 44.26.

"My target is to be focused until the end of the season because there are many small globes that are open and possible to get," Maze said. "I want to keep this level of skiing until the end, I don't want to go down, I want to keep it at the high level."

Hosp, the World Cup winner in 2007, lauded Maze's consistency.

"There are no words to describe Tina's amazing season," Hosp said.

Julia Mancuso came close to clinching the fourth super-combi podium of her career and her first in six years. But the American made a small mistake midway through, falling forward on her skis.

It seems only an injury can prevent Maze from breaking Maier's points record, set in 1999-2000. Vonn holds the women's record with 1,980 points from last season.

"It has been an extraordinary season for Tina," Kirchgasser said. "To be so far ahead in the points. Last time it was a man who won with more than 2,000 points, and I don't think Tina will be far off."

Maze's phenomenal season also includes three gold medals from the worlds in Schladming, Austria ? gold in super-G and silver in super-combi and giant slalom. She lost out on a second gold to Hoefl-Riesch and felt Sunday's win somewhat made up for that.

"I had that in mind because in Schladming I didn't do a good slalom," she said. "I didn't risk a lot and today I did different, so at the end it's a revenge, too, but the priority was better skiing from my side.

"It's a good slope. I had some troubles yesterday in downhill," Maze said. "I had some trouble on the top. But the rest of the hill is like a dream."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-24-SKI-Women's-World-Cup/id-84cec4f288d44316ba5d1d10969571e2

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Hands-on with the Sony Xperia Z

Apart from getting a decent amount of hands-on time with the new HTC One while I was in Sydney, I also took the time to get a quick look at Sony's new Android flagship, the Xperia Z. Like the HTC One, this device is set to launch very shortly across a range of carriers; we first heard of the device way back at CES 2013, however,?so the information has had a little bit of time to settle.

The last Sony device I had any decent time with was the Xperia S, their previous major phone that was launched early last year. It had some very decent features, including a beautiful Exmor R camera and solid media software, however the design left a lot to be desired and the phone's Snapdragon S3 processor was quickly surpassed by devices launched a few months later.

The thickness of the Xperia Z compared to the Nokia Lumia 920

The Xperia Z is quite a different device, because everything feels refined from what we've seen before. The solid camera makes a comeback, as does the media brilliance, but the specifications appear a lot more future proof (just look at the 5-inch, 1080p display) and the design is, simply put, the best smartphone hardware Sony has ever concocted.

Upon first handling the Xperia Z the size is noticeable, of course as it has to?accommodate?that 5-inch "Reality" display. Comparing it directly to the Lumia 920 (a large enough device as it is), it's roughly the same width but slightly taller, and a considerable amount thinner at just 7.9mm. While I wouldn't say the glass/plastic construction is as breathtaking as the HTC One, or as sturdy as the Lumia 920, it still feels fantastic in the hand because of its svelte, refined design.

It also looks fantastic as far as modern smartphone designs go: the Xperia Z is basically a thin, minimalist slate with little curvature in the construction, which fits well with the design language of the latest version of Android. As Sony has managed to keep the thickness down to 7.9mm, it doesn't really need to utilize any tapering to hide a thick middle, and I appreciate the end result.

I especially like the way the phone looks from the rear, and although the reflective plastic will likely cause a great deal of fingerprints, keep it clean and the sleek black panel will draw your eyes to it every time. Ideally, the certification logos on the back should be removed to have the cleanest design, but it's not a huge deal. Perhaps a bigger complaint will be the positioning of the power button on the right-hand side, which could be too low, but I'll reserve judgement for when I get a review unit.

The 1080p display was also a real highlight of my hands-on time, as it simply looks beautiful, especially when looking at photos enhanced by the Mobile Bravia Engine. It's so incredibly crisp, breaking the 300 pixel-per-inch golden number by a huge amount, so even when you're looking at the display as close as your eyes will focus, pixels are still invisible. At five inches there's also a lot of real estate to work with, and it seemed to deal with artificial light reflections quite well.

Another aspect that impressed me in my brief time with the phone was the 13-megapixel camera packing an improved Exmor RS sensor behind fast f/2.2 glass. By default the phone shoots 16:9 images at 9 megapixels, which look great and pack a decent amount of detail, however what impressed me most was the 10fps burst mode at 9 MP, which is quick and consistent enough to shoot over 1,000 photos in under 2 minutes. A sample shot from the camera can be seen below.

The Xperia Z packs a 1.5 GHz quad-core?APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, and while it isn't one of the latest Snapdragon 600s or 800s, in my time using the phone it felt super snappy and enough to satisfy. Browsing the web (checking out Neowin, of course) and flicking between apps was without any slowdown, but we'll have to wait just a little bit longer for gaming performance. The phone also packs a microSD card slot (yay!) and its waterproof???something I unfortunately couldn't test at the time.

I wouldn't say I was as initially impressed by the Xperia Z as I was by the HTC One???Sony's new flagship was very much as I was expecting after seeing it first at CES???but that doesn't mean it'll be a bad device. I eagerly await some proper time with the phone for a review, which if everything goes to plan will be up sometime in March.

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/hands-on-with-the-sony-xperia-z

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Alec Ogletree, Tyrann Mathieu Among Top 10 Prospects With Most to Prove at 2013 NFL Combine (Photos)

Every year there are plenty of debates over how important the NFL Scouting Combine is for teams in evaluating the stock of draft-eligible players.

Some will dismiss the whole event, call it the underwear Olympics and say that teams already have their draft boards set. Others will argue that the numbers they see every February in Indianapolis help confirm what they see on tape and draft with patterns according to those speed and agility drills.

Either way you see the event, you can?t argue that interviews and medicals are an important part of the draft process. The combine has also been known to make or break some players. Last year, Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict came to Lucas Oil Stadium out of shape and interviewed poorly. He didn?t hear his name called during the seven rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill, on the other hand, came to Indianapolis and wowed NFL teams with a 4.36 40-yard dash. Despite having little experience in running pro-style routes, Hill was drafted in the second round based on speed, size and upside alone.

Last year we also saw Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly surprise with a 4.58 speed and impressive agility figures. He was rewarded with a Top 10 pick.

This year will be no different and there are plenty of prospects who will be coming to Indianapolis with something to prove. Manti Te?o must prove in interviews that he had nothing to do with the Lennay Kekua scandal. Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree will have to show NFL teams that recent DUI arrest was a one-time occurrence and Oregon linebacker Dion Jordan will have to prove he can still move as swiftly after gaining 20 pounds for the NFL.

Photo via Facebook/Dawgs247

Source: http://nesn.com/2013/02/alec-ogletree-tyrann-mathieu-among-top-10-prospects-with-most-to-prove-at-2013-nfl-scouting-combine/

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Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche make weight as all UFC 157 fights are official

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For the first time, women stood on the scales to weigh in for a UFC bout. Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Liz Carmouche both made weight in an uneventful weigh-in on Friday afternoon at the Honda Center.

[Also: Ronda Rousey doesn't want to touch UFC title belt before fighting]

Michael Chiesa came in slightly over weight but the athletic commission let the small overage slide. Nah-Shon Burrell was significantly overweight and will forfeit 20 percent of his purse to his opponent. Here are complete weigh-in results, thanks to MMA Junkie.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
? Champ Ronda Rousey (134.6) vs. Liz Carmouche (133.6) - for women's bantamweight title
? Dan Henderson (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (202)
? Urijah Faber (136) vs. Ivan Menjivar (135.6)
? Court McGee (170) vs. Josh Neer (171)
? Josh Koscheck (171) vs. Robbie Lawler (171)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
? Lavar Johnson (255) vs. Brendan Schaub (243)
? Mike Chiesa (156.2) vs. Anton Kuivanen (156)
? Dennis Bermudez (145) vs. Matt Grice (145)
? Caros Fodor (155) vs. Sam Stout (155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6:30 p.m. ET)
? Brock Jardine (170) vs. Kenny Robertson (170)
? Neil Magny (171) vs. Jon Manley (171)
? Nah-Shon Burrell (175.8) vs. Yuri Villefort (170)

UFC video on Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ronda-rousey-liz-carmouche-weight-ufc-157-fights-021835462--mma.html

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Monday, February 18, 2013

Washington St. falls short in OT vs. No. 23 Oregon

PULLMAN, Wash. ?

Washington State's Brock Motum believes taking No. 23 Oregon to overtime in a 79-77 loss on Saturday is proof that the last-place Cougars have not given up on the season.

"The losses column is adding up now, and we could easily turn our backs on ourselves and our coaches," Motum said. "Today we fought back."

The team has five games left and the Pac-12 tournament, Motum said.

"A lot of teams can underestimate us because of our record," Motum said.

Oregon, which is first in the Pac-12, is not likely to underestimate the Cougars should the teams meet again in the conference tournament.

Washington State led by 18 points early, and 11 points at halftime, before the Ducks were able to mount a comeback.

Oregon's E.J. Singler was prepared for a lot of possible scenarios as he dribbled the ball up the court with the Ducks and Washington State tied in the final seconds of overtime.

What he didn't expect was WSU's Dexter Kernich-Drew to reach out and foul him.

Singler sank both free throws with 3.8 seconds left in overtime for the winning points.

"Some of the guys were calling `foul,' so I don't think he knew what the score was," said Singler, who finished with 25 points. "I was shocked."

Washington State players and coaches rallied around Kernich-Drew, saying one mistake did not cause the defeat.

"It was just a mistake," Motum said. "It's in the past now. He needs to keep his head up."

"If not for him we wouldn't have been in the game," Washington State coach Ken Bone said of Kernich-Drew, who had several key baskets.

Carlos Emory added 20 points for Oregon (21-5, 10-3).

Royce Woolridge scored a career-high 36 points for Washington State (11-15, 2-11), losers of six straight. Woolridge missed a half-court shot as time expired.

The score was tied at 71 at the end of regulation.

DaVonte Lacy's free throw put Washington State up 72-71, but Johnathan Loyd replied with a basket and then Emory stole a pass and slammed the ball home for a 75-72 Oregon lead.

Motum sank two free throws to bring WSU within one.

Singler made a free throw to give Oregon a 76-74 lead. After a WSU miss, Emory was fouled on the rebound and made his first free throw but missed his second. Oregon got the rebound but turned the ball over with 29 seconds left. Woolridge made a long 3-pointer to tie the score at 77.

But Dexter Kernich-Drew fouled Singler with 3.8 seconds left and the senior made both free throws for the winning points.

Washington State's first four field goals of the game were 3-pointers as they took a 13-11 lead.

Oregon center Tony Woods was called for a flagrant foul for elbowing Motum, WSU's leading scorer, in the head and was ejected from the game with 9:55 left in the first and Oregon trailing 19-13. Motum was on the floor for several minutes holding his head but returned quickly. Woods averages 10 points and 3 rebounds per game.

Washington State scored six consecutive points after that foul to take a 25-13 lead.

Oregon managed only one field goal over a 13-minute span to fall behind 32-15.

The Ducks clawed back behind three baskets by Emory, but Washington State led 38-27 at halftime. Woolridge had 22 points in the first half, besting his career high of 20. Oregon shot just 33 percent in the opening half, to 46 percent for WSU.

"We were dead, just standing around with no energy," Oregon coach Dana Altman said of the first half.

Oregon opened the second half with a quick 15-5 run, nine of the points by Singler and six by Damyean Dotson, to cut WSU's lead to 43-42.

Then Waverly Austin's basket gave Oregon its first lead since early in the game at 44-43 with 14:17 left.

"We all just got together and the chemistry started flowing," Emory said.

Two 3-pointers by Kernich-Drew put WSU ahead 52-47.

The teams traded baskets, and Austin's layup brought Oregon to 56-55. Woolridge hit a 3-pointer for WSU, but Singler replied with one for Oregon.

Emory's dunk and free throw put Oregon ahead 61-59 with 5:54 left.

Arsalan Kazemi's layup gave Oregon a 67-64 lead. After Motum made one of two free throws, Emory sank two free throws to put the Ducks up 69-65 with 1:58 left.

Washington State missed several 3-point tries. Then Woolridge was fouled going for a layup, and sank one free throw to bring WSU to 69-66 with 32 seconds left.

Washington State fouled Singler, who made both for a 71-66 lead with 28 seconds left. Motum was fouled shooting a 3 and made two of three to cut Oregon's lead to 71-68 with 18 seconds left.

Loyd was immediately fouled and missed both.

Washington State's D.J. Shelton rebounded and, after a timeout, DaVonte Lacy sank a 3-pointer from the left corner to tie the score at 71 with 5.3 seconds left.

Dotson and Singler both got off shots for Oregon, but missed and the game went into overtime.

"I'm really proud of my teammates," Woolridge said. "We went out there and we fought. ... We may not be winning every game, but we fight."

Oregon has won five in a row over Washington State, including the game earlier this season in Eugene. They swept both Washington schools for the first time since 1990.

Washington State is 0-5 against ranked opponents this season.

Source: http://feeds.seattletimes.com/click.phdo?i=d96591addc867251833912ea9fd7f03b

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

iMore Editors' Choice: Uber, Little Inferno, Jot mini, and more

Every week, the editors and writers at iMore carefully select some of our favorite, most useful, most extraordinary apps, accessories, gadgets, and websites. This week's selections include a stylus, a service that will make it easier than ever to call a taxi or car, an app that will tell you everything you need to know about your favorite brands by simply taking a photo of their logo, a news app that speaks to you, a fiery hot game, and a nutrition app.

Little Inferno - Simon Sage

Little Inferno brings the simple joy of lighting things on fire to your iPad. This more-than-slightly-off-kilter game has players toss various objects into a Little Inferno Entertainment Fireplace to earn Tomorrow Bucks. Tomorrow Bucks are spent on ordering new objects from catalogs, which, when burned up in certain combinations, award Tomorrow Stamps. Tomorrow Stamps can speed up the delivery of new objects, while achieving a certain number of combinations will unlock new catalogs.

Every object you can order has a high amount of visual polish a reacts realistically to being light on fire and moved around, right down to sound effects, physics, and the way it crumbles under a blaze. Little Inferno was made by the same crazy people that made World of Goo happen, so pick this one up if you?re looking for something out of the norm.

$4.99 - Download now

Jot mini - Chris Oldroyd

As part of my quest to become paper free I decided it was about time to start using my iPad to take hand written notes at meetings etc. I currently own a Pogo Sketch stylus and to be honest it?s like having a marshmallow on a cocktail stick. I needed something more accurate and more like a pen.

I did some research and decided to pick up a Jot mini stylus and I am so glad that I did. The Jot started life as a Kickstarter project and is known as the stylus with the small clear disc on the end but the feel of an actual ball point pen. Well I can tell you one thing, it is absolutely superb. It is highly accurate and feels just like you are using a real pen and I can?t praise it highly enough.

The Jot mini is simply a cut down version of the Jot Pro stylus and it may not be the best choice if you have bi hands. For me it is perfect and if you are in the market for a stylus, you would be mad not to get one of these!

$21.99 - Buy now

BizVizz - Ally Kazmucha

BizVizz is one of those apps that doesn't have any real world application but does provide a lot of interesting information. The main concept behind it is that you can scan any company logo by taking a photo of it, BizVizz will then spit out all kinds of information on that company from their tax rates to campaign contributions they've made.

While it's not something that everyone will want to know, for those who are interested about their favorite brands, how much they make, what political parties they've been affiliated or contributed to, and more - it's definitely an interesting find.

BizVizz may be intriguing to iPhone users that have strong political affiliations or the ones that care about who they are buying from and what they're doing with the money they put in their pockets. I've been scanning random logos for a few days now and have found BizVizz to be very enlightening in some cases.

Free - Download Now

Winston - Joseph Keller

Sometimes I wish Siri would bring me information at certain points in my day, telling me about news items while I do other things. That?s exactly what Winston does. Winston is an app that speaks to you, reading out news, weather, and your social feeds. There are a number of channels to to choose from as news sources, with politics, technology, and gaming just a few examples. You can also allow Winston access to your Twitter and Facebook feeds so that he can read them out to you. When you enter the app, tap the Briefing section at the top of your screen to get a rundown of the news since you last opened the app, along with the time and weather.

Winston isn?t perfect. Pronunciation can be an issue, and when parsing social feeds for relevant information, Winston sometimes fixates on a single word that is strange out of context. But though it?s still definitely a work in progress, Winston is still solid enough to use for quick information updates. Winston is currently free on the App Store.

Free - Download Now

Uber - Rene Ritchie

I don't have the Uber car service here in Montreal yet, but they sure do have it in San Francisco and I made use of it several times while at Macworld|iWorld 2013.

Here's how it used to work: I'd leave a restaurant or party, walk for blocks looking for an ATM, make sure I was secure while getting money, walk a bunch more blocks looking for a taxi, and then finally, maybe, get a ride, then fumble for cash and change and stumble off.

Here's how it works with Uber: Leave a restaurant or party, tap a button, get told a car is 2 to 4 minutes away, watch the car approach on a map, get a call to make sure it finds me, get in, go, get out, get on with my life.

It feels like a luxury, but when you need a car to take you some place, it also feels like a necessity.

The app is free, the rides get billed to your credit card.

Free - Download now

Healthy Diet & Grocery Food Scanner by ShopWell - Leanna Lofte

Nutrition Week in iMore and Mobile Nations Fitness Month is coming to a close, so this week I went on a hunt for an app the promotes healthy eating and stumbled upon this app that tells you if your groceries are good for your diet. It's called Healthy Diet & Grocery Food Scanner by ShopWell and here's how it works:

After you sign up with an account, or login with Facebook, you go through a series of menus to tell ShopWell what your diet goals are, what foods you value, which ones you want to avoid, and which ones you're allergic to. Once you've completed the setup, then you simply scan the barcodes of food in the grocery store or your cupboards and ShopWell will tell you if it's a good match for your needs and why, the nutrition facts that's color codes the stuff you do and don't want, and a color-coded list of ingredients.

If you're trying to be a little more health-conscious with what you eat, ShopWell is a great app to help you with that endeavor.

Free - Download now

Your choice?

Now that we've chosen our favorites for the week, we want to hear yours! Did you pick up a killer app, accessory, or game this week? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Atvv4XWqWY0/story01.htm

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Northwestern football does the "Harlem Shake"

Yeah, it happened.

You know the Harlem Shake? That dance that isn't actually the Harlem Shake?

Well, as you can see, Northwestern football has now done their version. Props go to:

1) dude with American flag booty shorts

2) dude making out with an Under Armour dummy (apparently, this is offensive lineman Matt Frazier)

3) dude in a banana suit sexually assaulting someone in what appears to be a gorilla suit in the middle of a scrum. Come to think of it, this is really sexually charged.

4) Kain Colter rocking matching orange... well, whatever those are and a hat.

5) Guy in a sombrero riding a guy in a hot dog costume like a horse

My point is, I hate my life and everything about it. I sort of knew this was eventually going to happen after I had to do a post about Georgia doing their Harlem Shake video. It actually turned out pretty well!

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Source: http://www.sippinonpurple.com/northwestern-wildcats-football/2013/2/16/3995870/northwestern-football-does-the-harlem-shake

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Bomb kills 64 in Pakistan's Quetta

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Sixty-four people including school children died on Saturday in a bomb attack carried out by extremists from Pakistan's Sunni Muslim majority, police said.

A spokesman for Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the bomb in Quetta, which caused casualties in the town's main bazaar, a school and a computer center. Police said most of the victims were Shi'ites.

Burned school bags and books were strewn around.

"The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device fitted to a motorcycle," said Wazir Khan Nasir, deputy inspector general of police in Quetta.

"This is a continuation of terrorism against Shi'ites."

"I saw many bodies of women and children," said an eyewitness at a hospital. "At least a dozen people were burned to death by the blast."

Most Western intelligence agencies have regarded the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda as the gravest threat to nuclear-armed Pakistan, a strategic U.S. ally.

But Pakistani law enforcement officials say Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has become a formidable force.

TENSIONS

Last month the group said it carried out a bombing in Quetta that killed nearly 100 people, one of Pakistan's worst sectarian attacks. Thousands of Shi'ites protested in several cities after that attack.

Pakistani intelligence officials say extremist groups, led by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have escalated their bombings and shootings of Shi'ites to trigger violence that would pave the way for a Sunni theocracy in U.S.-allied Pakistan.

More than 400 Shi'ites were killed in Pakistan last year, many by hitmen or bombs, and the perpetrators are almost never caught. Some hardline Shi'ite groups have hit back by killing Sunni clerics.

The growing sectarian violence has hurt the credibility of the government, which has already faced criticism ahead of elections due in May for its inability to tackle corruption and economic stagnation.

The schism between Sunnis and Shi'ites developed after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 when his followers could not agree on a successor.

Emotions over the issue are highly potent even today, pushing some countries, including Iraq five years ago, to the brink of civil war.

Pakistan is nowhere near that stage but officials worry that Sunni extremist groups have succeeded in dramatically ratcheting up tensions and provoking revenge attacks in their bid to destabilize the country.

(Reporting by Jibran Ahmed; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-kills-15-pakistans-quetta-140259606.html

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Hunter voted out as head of NBA players' union

HOUSTON (AP) ? Billy Hunter was ousted from his job as executive director of the union in a unanimous vote by NBA players who said Saturday they will "no longer be divided, misled, misinformed."

"This is our union and we have taken it back," players' association president Derek Fisher said.

Fisher said it was a day of change for the union, which has seemed inevitable since a review of the union last month was critical of Hunter's leadership and urged players to consider whether they wanted to keep him.

They didn't.

"We want to make it clear that we are here to serve only the best interests of the players," Fisher said. "No threats, no lies, no distractions will stop us from serving our memberships."

Hunter said in a statement that he hadn't received word of his dismissal and blasted the interim executive committee for the process it followed, saying "certain individuals made sure the outcome was pre-ordained."

"In addition, given the legitimate legal and governance questions surrounding the eligibility of the members who voted and the adherence, or lack thereof, to the constitution and bylaws, I do not consider today's vote the end, only a different beginning," Hunter said. "My legal representatives and I will resume communication with the NBPA to determine how to best move forward in the best interests of all parties."

In brief remarks, Fisher said a new executive committee was elected and he will remain as president. The Spurs' Matt Bonner is vice president, Miami's James Jones is secretary-treasurer and the Nets' Jerry Stackhouse the first vice president. The Clippers' Chris Paul, Golden State's Stephen Curry, Denver's Andre Iguodala, the Hornets' Roger Mason, Jr. and the Clippers' Willie Green are vice presidents.

Hunter had led the union since 1996, guiding the players through three collective bargaining agreements and helping bring their average salaries to more than $5 million, highest in team sports. But Fisher pushed for the review after a falling out between the two leaders, and though it found Hunter wasn't guilty of any criminal activity involving union funds, it cited a number of conflicts of interests and poor choices that led the players to remove him.

Commissioner David Stern was aware of the union's actions but had little comment.

"We await notification from the union as to who we should be dealing with because it has been a principle of faith with us that we will deal with whomever the union tells us to deal with," Stern said.

Released in January, the review conducted by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP criticized Hunter for hiring family members and friends. It said he knew his 2010 contract extension wasn't properly ratified by union rules, and raised questions about everything from travel expenses to the amount he spent on gifts.

Players acted quickly, putting Hunter on a leave of absence on Feb. 1. He hoped to be invited to Saturday's annual meeting, which included about 35 players, superstar LeBron James among them.

But Hunter's attorneys said their client was told he wouldn't be welcomed. They said his contract was legal and indicated there could be a lawsuit if the players removed him and attempted to withhold the more than $10 million that remains on his salary.

"We do not doubt that this process will possibly continue in an ugly way," said Fisher, who then reminded reporters that there are three ongoing government investigations into Hunter, likely the reason he didn't take questions after his remarks.

It's a swift fall for the 70-year-old Hunter, a former athlete who was well-respected by many players. But agents didn't like him, questioning his bargaining strategies and frustrated they didn't have a bigger role in his union.

Hunter's family did, and that was another central issue of the report. He had since fired his daughter and daughter-in-law, and cut ties with a financial institution that employed his son. He also instituted an anti-nepotism policy at the NPBA.

"After 17 years of representing NBA players during CBA negotiations and defending their rights in other proceedings, not once was there an occasion where one side was denied an opportunity to be heard," Hunter said. "The current interim regime in control of the NBPA has set a terrible precedent for the union. It violates every tenet of fairness upon which the union was founded. Now that this has occurred, I will continue to examine all of my options, including whether the fairness that was absent from the NBPA process might be available in a different forum."

Fisher, Paul, Bonner, Mason and Jones were holdovers from the previous executive committee. Stackhouse, who along with James was vocal during the meeting, joins Iguodala, Curry and Green among the newcomers.

Fisher and Hunter clashed during the 2011 lockout and their fractured relationship divided the union. Hunter originally persuaded the executive committee to vote to request Fisher's resignation last year. Fisher did not resign and instead pushed for the outside review, which lasted more than eight months and cost the union more than $4 million.

The law firm reviewed NBPA documents and emails, and interviewed more than three dozen witnesses. It found that Hunter spent more than $100,000 on gifts for executive committee members ? including a watch worth more than $20,000 for Fisher before their falling out ? and accepted a payout of $1.3 million for unused vacation time when records made it unclear how his time off was kept.

Fisher remains president even though he isn't on an NBA roster, having asked the Dallas Mavericks for his release after a brief stint earlier this season. He gave no update on what would happen to the executive director position. Union attorney Ron Klempner was appointed to the position on an interim basis when Hunter was placed on leave.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hunter-voted-head-nba-players-union-224341489--spt.html

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Re-calculating? (Or Why Good Exchanges Are Important - CraftyPod

Broken & Stacked

Image bypygment_shots, via Flickr

So, I know I haven?t been very present around here lately. 2013 has started in a rather worrisome way for me, and I?ve been doing my best to cope and grow. And in such times, it can be hard to be publicly perky.

Things are slowly coming back together now, and I?m in the middle of a big re-org that I?m excited about. My posts here will be sporadic for a while as all this is going on behind the scenes.

I did decide to go ahead and share the post below, which I wrote a few weeks back. I think it gets at a new wrinkle in the whole Free and Sustainability subject, and maybe it?s something you?ll find applies to your own online experiences. Enjoy, and I?ll see you around.

sad

Image by Kalexanderson, via Flickr

When I ended my podcast, I knew I?d feel a bit sad. But I wasn?t at all prepared for the anger that welled up inside me. I was one rage-filled woman for a while there. Poor K ? I can tell you, he has the patience of a saint.

On the surface of things, I was angered by the flood of well wishes on Twitter and Facebook, and in my emailer. I knew that anger wasn?t the appropriate response to such kindness, but it was there anyway, utterly undeniable.

It?s just that hearing people say ?I?m so sad that the show is ending? when most of them hadn?t supported the show financially ? that felt painful. Hearing so many people say ?I can?t wait to see what you do next? when my last project was dying ? that felt painful too. Even though I knew in my heart that every single person who said those things did it with the best of intent.

Hyssop-Coriander-Celery-Chilli-Seedlings-8731

Image by graibeard, via Flickr

My friend Kim wisely pointed out that business failures usually have a number of seeds. My podcast failed because not enough people subscribed (or renewed their subscription, or visited my sponsors), but it also failed because I was asking you to pay for something no one else was asking you to pay for. And because my online store wasn?t able to deliver the shows like iTunes does, with a single click and the money transaction kind of hidden. And because I could have marketed better. And because production, sponsorship sales and admin, plus all the technical tasks of maintaining subscribers added up to so many hours, it wasn?t a project I could sustain on my own.

So again, it wasn?t appropriate to be angry at all the nice people who were wishing me well. But I was angry ? really, really angry. And I think I?ve finally figured out why.

It?s because I failed, over the course of seven years, to create good exchanges with most fans of the show. I was angry at myself. And I apologize for the moments when my anger was misdirected.

Swim PT 225

Image by hectorir, via Flickr

That?s a complex idea, so let me explain. I have always sucked at building mutually-beneficial relationships ? in business, in romance, you name it. I?m someone who gives to the point of over-giving, and then hopes everyone will intuit the best way to give back, and then is shocked and disappointed when they don?t. Rinse and repeat, that tendency goes way back.

It?s an unhealthy pattern for so many reasons, and it inevitably leads to burnout. Back in the Day Job Era of my life, when the pattern played itself out to burnout, I?d just quit my job and get another one, hoping that ?this time it?ll be different.? (Spoiler: it never was.)

Now that I?m self-employed, I have nowhere to run from this tendency to over-give. It?s time I faced up to it.

I'm asking for help
Image by nettsu, via Flickr

Here?s what I should have done, in terms of the podcast. Every time a nice person emailed me, over the past seven years, expressing thanks for the value they received from the show, I should have said more than ?Thank you.? Saying ?Thank you? is nice and expected, but you know what? It?s a bit of a door-closer.

Instead, I should have created a future for me and these kind souls by saying something like:?I?m so happy that the podcasts are bringing you value. If you?d like to give something back to the show, how about blogging about it sometime? How about telling your friends? Do you have a contact at any company that might want to sponsor? I?d love any and all help to keep this project going!?

See what I mean? There?s way more power and possibility in asking for an exchange. It?s important to know what you need, and then ask individual humans for it directly. And I didn?t do any of those things. Instead, I communicated the show?s need of support in a general broadcast-y way, which feels somewhat safer to do, but which most of us, truth be told, usually ignore.

first baby steps - _MG_1014
Image by sean dreilinger, via Flickr

It?s not that the show didn?t bring me anything back for my efforts. Of course it did! But I can see now that, by making the shows and putting them out there and never asking anyone else to get meaningfully involved, I just created a kind of bubble around them ? one that ultimately had no choice but to pop.

So here are some things I?m going to do differently, going forward:

? When people say to me, ?Please let me know what I can do to help you,? I?m going to make myself take the opportunity. I?ve made a list of things I need, and it?s posted by my computer so I won?t default to saying ?Oh, I don?t need anything right now, thanks.? This year, I am going to ASK.

? When people reach out to me to say ?Thank you for all you do in the community,? I?m going to offer them some easy and specific ways to give back, if they choose to do so.

? I?m going to continue making free content, but always with a call to some small, easy action for those who consume it. I know not everyone will take that call, but again, it?s important to ask.

Help wanted sign

Image by andjohan, via Flickr

Actually, I think we could all take a meaningful step in the direction of sustainable Free just by getting clear about what we want to get from our online sharing, and then clearly asking for it. (And yes, I know it?s tempting to say that sharing for sharing?s sake is awesome, but at the end of the day, we do things because they give us some kind of reward back. If we weren?t getting some kind of reward, we wouldn?t do it for long.)

The exchanges we want don?t even have to be monetary. Maybe all you want is for someone to compliment your work. Maybe what you want is more web traffic. Whatever it is, again, it?s important to make that clear. Because how else will we know how to support each other?

How do you ask people for meaningful exchanges? Or do you ask directly? What kinds of exchanges do you wish you were having?

Source: http://www.craftypod.com/2013/02/15/re-calculating-or-why-good-exchanges-are-important-to-sustainability/

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South Africa vs Pakistan 2nd Test Match Day 3 Live Streaming

by rahus | February 16, 2013 at 01:19 am

The genius of Saeed Ajmal came to the fore for the first time in the series, as the Pakistan spinner single-handedly put South Africa on the back foot on day two of the second test at Newlands on Friday.

Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd Test Live Streaming ? Link 1

Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd Test Live Streaming ? Link 2

South Africa went to stumps on 139-5 in response to Pakistan's 338 all out, with Ajmal profiting from a Decision Review System controversy in the process of claiming all five Proteas wickets.

Ajmal's threat was nullified by a seam-friendly pitch in the first test at the Wanderers, but a healthy breeze and a dry surface at Newlands assisted both drift and turn as he recorded figures of 5-41 from 25 bewitching overs.

From the moment that Ajmal was introduced in just the 12th over of the innings, South Africa's batsmen never looked comfortable against the offspinner as they struggled to pick him.

"We know he's a quality bowler, and obviously the wicket has assisted him because there's been a bit of purchase and it's a little bit drier than we thought it would be," South Africa's assistant coach Russell Domingo said.

"Maybe we've been a bit tentative against him. He hasn't given us many scoring opportunities so maybe we need to look at playing a little bit more positively against him."

Ajmal dismissed openers Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen in the second session, before inducing a collapse midway through the third that claimed Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis.

Smith, Amla and Kallis were all trapped lbw, while Petersen and du Plessis were caught at short leg and slip respectively.

"The home team in the first test were not under much pressure at all," Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore said. "Here they're confronted with a total of 300-plus on the board on a wicket that's totally different to the one in the first test and it's become harder."

Ajmal's haul was not without debate, however, with umpire Steve Davis at the center of a contentious decision to give Kallis out.

Davis, who had already had two other calls overturned by the DRS, appeared to give Kallis out caught before the batsman referred the decision upstairs.

HotSpot failed to find an edge, but ball-tracking technology suggested the ball would have struck the outside of leg stump.

Kallis was therefore given out lbw on 'umpire's call,' despite the ICC's DRS rules stating that decisions over a different mode of dismissal should be "conducted as if the batsman has been given not out."

Kallis sought clarity from Davis before he was eventually forced to leave the field, but while the incident left a sour taste in South African mouths, it took little away from Ajmal's superb effort, which saw him bowl all his overs unchanged.

It more than matched that of Vernon Philander, who had claimed the ninth five-wicket haul of his 15-test career in the morning session as the Proteas clinched the five wickets required to close out the Pakistan innings before lunch.

Philander took three wickets in three overs at the start of the day, including centurion Asad Shafiq for his overnight score of 111, and finished with figures of 5-59.

Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson claimed the final two wickets to wrap up the innings, but not before Tanvir Ahmed and Ajmal had put on 64 runs for the ninth wicket.

"Certainly it was very important that we got as many runs as possible in the first innings, because we feel that the wicket might be a bit harder to bat on as the days go," Whatmore said.

Source: http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/south-africa-vs-pakistan-2nd-test-match-day-3-live-streaming

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