Monday 26 October 2015

Longtime NBA Coach Flip Saunders Dies At Age 60

Longtime NBA coach and Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders has died.He was 60 years old, and had been undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma over the past few months."Flip was a symbol of strength, compassion, and dignity for our organization. He was a shining example of what a true leader should be, defined by his integrity and kindness to all he encountered."Today is not a day to reflect on Flip's accomplishments in basketball or what he brought to us as an organization on the court, but rather to indicate what he meant to us as a co-worker, friend, member of the community and the basketball world at large."
Saunders, who over his nearly two decades as a head coach hauled in more than 650 career victories, is best known as the head coach of the Timberwolves, but also had a successful run with the Detroit Pistons from 2005-2008, where he took that team to three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals.He also coached the Washington Wizards and worked as an ESPN analyst in between coaching gigs.As ESPN reports, Saunders "was in the process of a major rebuilding effort" with the Timber wolves that also included the building of a new practice facility and renovations at the team's arena, the Target Center."Saunders first became an NBA coach in 1996 with the Timber wolves and eventually led the team to eight straight playoff appearances. A standout offensive coach, Saunders specialized in coaching point guards."But perhaps the player he had the greatest impact on was a big man, a wiry kid who came straight from high school in 1995 named Kevin Garnett. Under Saunders' tutelage, Garnett developed into one of the best players in the NBA and eventually an MVP."Born Philip Daniel Saunders, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, Saunders received the nickname "Flip" from his mother — a former beautician who heard a customer in the salon refer to her older son Greg by the moniker. But it stuck to her younger son more or less his entire life.

Buffalo Bills can't overcome EJ Manuel implosion (5 observations from loss to Jaguars in London)

London — London got to see EJ Manuel in all his glory in the Buffalo Bills' 34-31 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.Manuel, the quarterback the Bills felt strongly enough about to trade away backup quarterback Matt Cassel just over a month ago, had the worst quarter any quarterback has had this season. He lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and came back the next series to throw an interception right to Telvin Smith, who brought it back for six more. If that wasn't enough, Manuel turned the ball over for a third straight series on the next play. Just like that, the Bills went from trailing 7-3 to trailing 27-3, and there was nobody to blame but Manuel.Somehow, the Bills managed to overcome it. Manuel settled down in the second half, and his 57-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Easley in the fourth quarter pulled the Bills back within striking distance. Then it was Blake Bortles' turn to implode, and the Jaguars' quarterback did so with an interception that Corey Graham returned for a touchdown.Just like that, 28 unanswered points later, the Bills had a 31-27 lead. Just when the Jaguars looked dead in the water, Bortles answered with a drive that went 84 yards in seven plays and ended with a diving touchdown catch from Allen Hurns. Manuel had his chance to respond, but he faded, and what could have been a comeback for the ages was squandered.Needless to say, the Bills could use Tyrod Taylor back after the bye week.

1. The ups and downs of McCoy

For a while, LeSean McCoy looked healthy. He was the only spark the Bills' offense had all afternoon against the Jaguars. Then, after taking a screen pass down to the 1-yard line and going over 100 yards from scrimmage, McCoy fumbled and went to the field in a heap. Luckily, he was able to return, but the fumble was costly. His injury situation doesn't seem severe, but it will be worth monitoring heading into the bye week.

2. Bills gashed on the ground

For the first time this season, the Bills were gashed in the running game. T.J. Yeldon was the first running back to go over 100 yards rushing against the Bills this season. The Bills spent most of the week taking heat for their pass rush, but the running helped the Jaguars control the clock for a bit of the second half, especially in the third quarter.

3. Manuel's obsession with Chris Gragg

Manuel spent most of training camp working with the backups, so it makes sense that those players would be the ones he has chemistry. That might explain why No. 2 tight end Chris Gragg had more targets than starter Charles Clay, who earned a big free agent contract from the team this offseason. The problem is, Gragg caught only two of his seven targets for 35 yards.

4. Defense does all it can

The Bills' defense did all it could do on Sunday against the Jaguars. The final touchdown drive was rough, but a questionable penalty call helped Jacksonville stay alive. Other than that drive, and a relatively tough day against Yeldon, the Bills' defense was solid. Graham's interception could have won the Bills the game.

5. Penalty call looms large

Again, the Bills have a penalty to blame for their loss. This one was a pass interference call on the Jaguars' winning drive on which the referee could have left the flag in his pocket. After the penalty, which extended the drive, Bortles delivered the kill shot to Hurns. Penalties continue to be a storyline for Buffalo.

Players and teams around the NBA react to the passing of Flip Saunders

Manchester City, cuadro que dirige el chileno Manuel Pellegrini, se mantuvo una semana más en la cima de la Premier League 2015-2016 al igualar este domingo sin goles en su visita al Manchester United, en el pleito estelar de la décima fecha del campeonato inglés. En un pleito donde la intensidad se centró en la zona media del campo, los ‘Diablos Rojos’ contaron con las ocasiones más claras para desnivelar. Es por ello que los ‘Citizens’ terminaron tomando la paridad en Old Trafford como un punto ganado. Tras un primer lapso sin grandes emociones, el complemento presentó las mejores ocasiones para desnivelar, protagonizadas principalmente por el conjunto dueño de casa. A los 50 minutos, un cabezazo de Smalling pasó muy cerca del pórtico de un vencido Joe Hart. 
Más tarde, a los 84’, Lingard sacó un remate de derecha que pegó de lleno en el horizontal y a los 88’ Smalling disparó de primera en una acción donde Hart estuvo notable en la estirada para ahogar el grito de gol de los ‘Diablos Rojos’. Con este resultado, el equipo del ‘Ingeniero’ llegó a 22 unidades y sólo supera por diferencia de gol a su más cercano perseguidor, el Arsenal de Alexis Sánchez, que el sábado superó en su reducto por 2-1 al Everton. 

Явка на місцевих виборах в Україні склала 46,62% - ЦВК Більше читайте тут:


Згідно з даними Центральної виборчої комісії (ЦВК), на місцевих виборах, які відбулися 25 жовтня, бюлетені на дільницях отримали 46,62% виборців, повідомляється на сайті ЦВК. Лідерами по явці виборців стали Тернопільська (56,50%) та Львівська області (56,31%). Більше половини виборців прийшли на дільниці також у Волинській, Вінницькій, Івано-Франківській, Рівненській та Хмельницькій областях. Найнижча явка зафіксована в Донецькій (31,65%) і Луганській (35,27%) областях. Читайте також: Станом на 16:00 явка на місцевих виборах в Луганській області склала 26% 25 жовтня в Україні проходять вибори в місцеві органи влади. За даними МВС, станом на 9:30 почали роботу 10 642 територіальні виборчі комісії і 29 264 дільничних. Не відкрилися 237 виборчих дільниць (головним чином, в Донецькій області). За станом на 20:00 місцевих виборах в Україні проголосували 46,5% виборців, повідомляє громадянська мережа "ОПОРА". Нагадаємо, що в жовтні 2010 року явка на місцевих виборах склала 52,24%.

Звідки так багато? Переглядав де малюють явку - 60% селам і районам і містам біля 40%, і виводять середнє. Чому так? Тому ще в селах легко фальшувати. Звідки в Тернопільській і Львівській області 60% проголосувало в сільській місцевості? Більшість же на заробітках. А на Сході хто голосує, якщо вони в "ДНР"ах? Щось тут не те. Думаю явка біля 25-30%, але щоб не підводити посла США намалювали ще 20%. Такий собі невинний олігархічний обман, який ні на що не впливає, крім як маскує провал ненародної і неукраїноцентричної влади.
Більше читайте тут:

Sunday 25 October 2015

Así quedó México tras el paso del huracán Patricia, el más potente de su historia

Fue calificado como "el huracán más potente de la historia de México y del hemisferio occidental", aunque los daños que causó han sido mucho menores de los que se esperaban.Patricia se debilitó al tocar tierra, hasta transformarse en una depresión tropical, informó la Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA).Lee: Patricia: el huracán "más potente de la historia" arremete contra MéxicoLas medidas preventivas ayudaron a reducir el impacto del huracán a su paso por México; apenas causó daños materiales y no hubo víctimas mortales."No hay incidentes mayores", dijo en rueda de prensa el secretario de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, teniendo en cuenta el "peligro que se corrió con el embate de este huracán".Sin embargo, algunas zonas sí quedaron afectadas.Este es el balance de los daños que causó el huracán más intenso jamás registrado en México.El huracán se adentró el viernes por la tarde en la costa occidental de México, a una velocidad de 266 kilómetros por hora.A las 21:00 horas, su velocidad era de 180 kilómetros por hora, y más de 200.000 personas permanecían refugiadas en sus casas.Las calles estaban desiertas.Todavía no se sabe con certeza el alcance del huracán en las zonas de alrededor de Cuixmala.

Árboles caídos e inundaciones

El Comité Estatal de Protección Civil de Colima reportó que no hubo víctimas mortales tras el paso del huracán, pero sí la caída de árboles e inundaciones en varias regiones del estado de Colima.En la carretera que conecta Manzanillo, Colima, con Puerto Vallarta se reportaron daños materiales.Las calles de Manzanillo quedaron llenas de arena, tras el impacto de Patricia en la costa de su estado vecino.En ese momento, era un huracán de categoría 5, la mayor en la escala Saffir-Simpson."Quien salga de su casa después de las 14:00 horas difícilmente regresará", dijo el viernes por la mañana el gobernador del estado de Jalisco, Aristóteles Sandoval.Pero al entrar en contacto con las montañas de la costa mexicana, Patricia perdió fuerza rápidamente.Aún así, convertida en una tormenta tropical, derribó árboles, inundó calles y maltrató edificios a su paso.En Puerto Vallarta desalojaron a cerca de 15.000 turistas, que fueron trasladados a Guadalajara, la capital de Jalisco, aunque la mayoría pudo regresar a su hotel el viernes por la noche.La ciudad amaneció el sábado con una ligera lluvia y restablecieron los servicios de transporte público.Después, Patricia cambió de rumbo y se dirigió hacia el sur, a los municipios de Cihuatlán y Tomatlán.

Saturday 24 October 2015

Blue Jays vs. Royals: Game 6 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 MLB Playoffs

The Kansas City Royals dodged questionable managerial decision-making, a rain delay and a fierce Toronto Blue Jays comeback to take Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, 4-3, and set up a World Series showdown with the New York Mets.  
With Friday's game tied 3-3 following a 45-minute rain delay in the middle of the eighth inning, the Royals responded with a single to deep right from Eric Hosmer that drove in the speedy Lorenzo Cain all the way from first. According to Fox Sports, Hosmer's clutch RBI tied him with George Brett for the franchise's postseason record (23). Closer Wade Davis took the mound in the ninth and induced a Josh Donaldson groundout to cap things off, but the final frame was engulfed in drama. Toronto had the game's tying run on third and go-ahead run on first with none out, but Davis eventually settled down and retired the next three batters to send Kansas City to its second World Series in as many years. The Blue Jays' hopes were fading entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but Ben Revere kept his team afloat by robbing what would have been an extra-base hit off the bat of Royals catcher Salvador Perez.  Revere then reached base on an infield single to start the eighth inning before Jose Bautista stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run shot to left field off reliever Ryan Madson to tie things at three.Combined with his solo home run in the fourth inning, Bautista became the first player in Blue Jays history to hit multiple home runs in a playoff game, per Sportsnet's Shi DavidiSportsCenter added that the "last time a player hit a game-tying or go-ahead HR in 8th inning or later of Game 6 or 7 in ALCS was Aaron Boone in 2003."

Carrie Underwood, American Girl

In her first release in almost three-and-a-half years, Carrie Underwood’s fifth album, “Storyteller,” drops Friday. Most of the 13 tracks center on the country star’s familiar themes: tight-knit working-class communities, trust in faith, and intense struggle, whether personal or social.The album’s first single, “Smoke Break,” manages to incorporate all three in profiling a small-town, hard-working woman who scuffles to feed four children. When you’re doing all the giving, the lyrics explain, “It’s hard to be a good wife, good mother and a good Christian.”No wonder the beleaguered, tee-totaling mom of the song sometimes needs “a stiff drink,” she confesses. Furthermore, “I know it might sound bad, but sometimes I need a smoke break.”Underwood, 32, is a seven-time Grammy Award winner who has recorded 21 No. 1 singles and sold 58 million records worldwide. She has never shied away from underscoring her faith and religious beliefs and lays them out for all to see.“It’s how I was raised,” she once told this writer. “I honestly believe there is something, somewhere, watching over me, whether it’s angels or God himself pointing me in the directions I need to go. I’m very thankful.”Underwood’s songs continue to make that clear, even as modern country music moves away from what used to be a staple of the genre, what old-school hillbilly star Porter Wagoner always called “a sacred number.” “After ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ came out,” Underwood said, “I’d do interviews, and people would go, ‘Wow, singing about God! That was risky!’ I was like, ‘Really?’ Gospel music and country music has gone hand-in-hand for decades. Plus, it was just me. It was me!”“The girl-next-door quality she exudes isn’t an image,” confirmed Randy Lewis, who has covered country music for the Los Angeles Times since 1981. “It’s who she is.”On Nov. 4, for the eighth consecutive year, Underwood will co-host the Country Music Association’s live television broadcast with Brad Paisley. Together, they are country’s King and Queen of Clean, which is why Underwood was the perfect choice to play Maria von Trapp in NBC’s 2013 production of “The Sound of Music.” The live three-hour holiday special attracted 44 million viewers but got a “thumbs down” from reviewers.Underwood has said she never wants to do or say anything she can’t explain to her grandchildren, so she held her tongue the best she could.“Mean people need Jesus,” she tweeted. “They will be in my prayers tonight.”“Sometimes critics forget that a whole lot of folks travel the middle road,” said Chrissie Dickinson, former editor of the Journal of Country Music. “Underwood has no problem traveling down that path.”While former country — and now pop star — Taylor Swift struts her cool, inviting such rock superstars as Mick Jagger and Alanis Morissette onstage to duet, Underwood downplays the flash. As glamorous as she is onstage, she also gives off an honest, down-to-earth vibe in sweatpants and T-shirts.“I can’t hang with people like Lady Gaga,” she said. “I don’t fit in there. That’s not my heart. I grew up listening to country music. I love to bring other elements of music into mine. We have some borderline rock and pop songs, and I love doing stuff like that. But in the end, I’m a country artist, and we wanted people to know that right off the bat.”“I think that she is probably the best female vocalist to come out of Nashville, maybe ever,” said her friend Miranda Lambert, the CMA’s five-time Female Vocalist of the Year. “The mystery about her is that she does have this girl-next-door image, but then she comes out in fishnets. The first time I saw that, I was like, ‘Hey, that’s pretty gutsy!’ I think it’s cool. But if I had her thighs, I would do the same. With her, what you see is what you get. She’s not fake at all.”Since winning “American Idol” in 2005, Underwood has made a career of celebrating the old-fashioned values she grew up near the tiny rural town of Checotah, Okla. The population hovers at just under 3,500, and the “beauty shop” is nestled in the town hardware store. “The people in Oklahoma are not like any other people anywhere else,” she told me. “I know there are good people everywhere, but it seemed like there were more good, happy people in Oklahoma. In my little town, if you drove your car down the street and you waved at somebody, they’d wave back. We all knew each other, and it was nice that I could go out with my friends and roam around the streets and my parents didn’t have to worry. It was a good place to grow up.”The baby of a family of three girls, Underwood learned to sing in church as a child. Hers was a solid and seemingly all-American upbringing. The Underwoods resided in the same house for more than 30 years, raised a few cattle (“We’re not the croppin’ kind,” Carrie explained), and the singer’s grandfather lived five blocks down the street. A tomboy in her youth, she has always been extremely close to her mother, and continues to be today.In high school, Underwood was a well-rounded student, the salutatorian of her graduating class who balanced athleticism and cheerleading with her studies. At college at Oklahoma’s Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, where she studied broadcasting, she joined a sorority, volunteered for hospice care, and participated in beauty pageants and talent shows.She waited tables to help her parents, an elementary school teacher and a paper mill worker, pay her tuition. She’d never been on an airplane until she auditioned for “American Idol,” and almost turned back at the last minute.Throughout history, from Roy Acuff to Dolly Parton, country music culled its biggest stars from its own brethren — people who grew up working the land or blue-collar jobs and sang about hard times. No matter how much money they made doing it (and Underwood is reported to be the biggest “American Idol” earner of all time, with a total career net worth of more than $110 million), country stars were symbolic ordinary people who never “got above their raising,” or forgot their roots.Most of that began to change in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and now new singers come to Nashville with a lawyer ready to draw up their deals.Underwood manages to fill that gap, even as Nashville was at first skeptical of a young woman who had come to town via an “American Idol” win. But her genuineness quickly won over Music City and made her legions of new fans who had never seen her on the television show.She remains a huge star, living in two worlds despite an old-fashioned view of life. This may be the key to her fan base.“The adolescent girls and college-age women who fell in love with her a decade ago on ‘American Idol’ are now entering college, or starting careers, or getting married and raising families,” Dickinson said. “But Carrie is still a relatable figure to a lot of them. It’s easy to imagine her laughing and eating pizza with her gal pals or playing softball at the church picnic.”In 2010, Underwood married Mike Fisher, then a hockey player for the Ottawa Senators, now with the Nashville Predators. When he initially expressed an interest in knowing her, she suggested a group setting, as in the meet-and-greet line after a show in Toronto. Theirs is a union of equals, and not just in their careers. The two do Bible studies together, for example. The singer calls him “my best friend. I trust him more than I’ve ever trusted any human being. He makes me a better person, and hopefully I do the same for him.”Underwood is also a young working mother. Last February, the couple welcomed their first child, Isiah Michael Fisher. In June, when their dogs accidentally locked themselves in the car with the infant, Underwood didn’t wait for help — she broke a window to free them.“I’m a very practical person,” she said.With that mindset, Underwood looks to the future.“I can’t stay in the music business forever, and hopefully that ride’s not over. I would just be so grateful for what I had.”

Texas storms snarl flights at Dallas airports

Stormy weather in Texas has snarled flights at Dallas / Fort Worth, creating headaches for travelers flying to, from or through that busy U.S. airport on Friday.More than 420 flights – about 180 departures and 240 arrivals – had been canceled there as of 3:50 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. That represented about 20% of the airport’s entire daily schedule. And another 600 of Friday's flights had been delayed. Together that represents about half of the day’s flights at DFW, according to the Flight Awaredata.
DFW, of course, is the biggest hub for American Airlines, now the world’s biggest airline following its merger with US Airways.Flight delays also were being reported at Dallas Love Field, the smaller of the two Dallas-area airports. Southwest operates a major base from Love Field.Cancellations were relatively minor there – just about 2% of the day’s schedule, according to Flight Aware – but delays were more problematic. Nearly 30% of Friday’s flights were running behind schedule as of 3:50 p.m. ET.Flight schedules also appeared to be affected at other airports in Texas. About 10% of the day’s flights had suffered delays at the Houston Bush Intercontinental, Austin and San Antonio airports as of 3:50 p.m. ET, according to Flight Aware. Passengers flying through the region on Friday should check ahead to confirm the status of their flights. Additionally, travelers should be prepared for possible ripple effects.The poor weather in Texas could affect flights in parts of the country where the weather is fine. For example, a flight from Washington, D.C., to Chicago could become delayed or canceled if the crew or aircraft scheduled to fly that flight gets bogged down in stormy Texas. 

Six moments that made Hillary Clinton's big October

If Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination in 2016, the first three weeks of October may be the reason why.Clinton moved into fall with a number of outstanding questions and a lot to prove. Her poll numbers were down, Sen. Bernie Sanders had passed her in New Hampshire and Democrats, many of whom were drawn to Sanders' candor and passion, were questioning whether she was the right choice for a nominee.
But after a well-received cameo ‪on Saturday Night Live, a strong debate performance and a marathon day of testimony before House Republicans, Clinton has turned a corner. The past 10 days have been perhaps her most dominant in national politics.

October 3: Saturday Night Live
Clinton's first test was Saturday Night Live, where the former secretary of state -- who has developed a reputation for being calculated and robotic -- needed to show her softer, humorous side.Across from SNL's Kate McKinnon playing a power-craven Clinton, the real Clinton played "Val," a salt-of-the-earth bartender who impersonated Donald Trump and ended the sketch by singing "Lean On Me."Clinton, according to aides, embraced the sketch drawn up by the show's writers and spent hours on set preparing for it.It was ratings, comedy and political gold. Clinton won plaudits for showing she was in on the joke -- including some about former President Bill Clinton, her husband -- and made headlines by calling out Trump.
October 13: The debate
The headlines spoke for themselves: Hillary Clinton won the first Democratic debate."Yes, Hillary Clinton won the Debate," wrote Slate. "The moment when Hillary Clinton won the first Democratic debate," blared the Washington Post. And the Clinton campaign's favorite: "Clinton crushes it," wrote Politico.Though Clinton was known as a skilled debater going in, it was not a certainty that she was going to win on October 13. The night was the first time Clinton would share a stage with her rivals, namely independent Sanders.Clinton's performance was poised and polished and helped shore up questions about her viability as a candidate. She dismissed candidates who critiqued her and showed a willingness to hit back, like she did when she bluntly said Sanders was not strong enough on guns."That was the best night of our campaign," said Brian Fallon, Clinton's press secretary.
And even after being hit on guns, Sanders gave the former first lady a gift when he demeaned the focus on Clinton's exclusive use of a private email during her time as Secretary of State."The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails," Sanders boomed, winning praise from the crowd and Clinton, who stepped out from behind her podium to offer a Sanders a big handshake.

October 20: Webb bows out

Clinton's debate performance didn't push Jim Webb out of the race for the Democratic nomination, but the former secretary of the Navy's inability to get traction afterward the two-hour contest was an obvious problem.The former Virginia senator cited Clinton's dominance -- and what he saw as bias by the Democratic establishment -- as one of the reasons he was bowing out of the race and considering an independent run."It's been very difficult in the Democratic Party primary process with the dominance of one candidate, not only in her candidacy, but in the structure of the Democratic Party," Webb said Wednesday.Webb was never a formidable challenger to Clinton and his departure was never actually acknowledged by the former first lady, but it did show the dark horse candidates would have a tough time keeping up with what had become a two-person race with Sanders.

October 21: Biden says no

Joe Biden was waffling for months on whether or not to join the race, with chatter reaching a fever pitch over the last two weeks.Then, with just 10 minutes of notice, the vice president scheduled a speech in the White House Rose Garden and it was over -- he was out.Biden had unsuccessfully run for president twice before and there was not guarantee that a 2016 run would be any different, but Biden had shown a day earlier that he was willing to go after Clinton if he ran."The other team is not the enemy," Biden said at an event the day before dropping out. "If you treat it as the enemy there is no was we can ever ever solve the problems we have to." The line was a subtle but direct hit against Clinton who said at the debate that Republicans were her proudest enemy."Joe Biden is a good man and a great Vice President," Clinton said in a statement marking his departure. "I am confident that history isn't finished with Joe Biden. As he said today, there is more work to do. And if I know Joe, he will always be on the front lines, always fighting for all of us."

October 22: Unscathed by hours of testimony

Hillary Clinton was all smiles when she walked out of the committee room she had spent 11 hours testifying before the House's Select Committee on Benghazi.After shaking hands with supporters -- including a number of sitting members of Congress who had stayed to see her off -- Clinton offered a big grin and raised eyebrows when asked if she felt like she had won the day. No words were needed: It was clear to almost anyone watching that she came out of the room unscathed by the hours of testimony.After the hours of testimony, even Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, the man behind the inquiry, admitted that no new ground was broken on Thursday. "I don't know that she testified that much differently today than the previous times she's testified," he told reporters.
"Their problem is they were so focused on justifying their existence and proving that they had something new, that they fabricated this whole parallel universe where Sid Blumenthal was the central figure in Benghazi," Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, said about the committee's focus on Blumenthal, a Clinton friend. "It is just truly ridiculous."
October 23: Chafee backs out
Lincoln Chafee never came within 1,000 kilometers of challenging Clinton.After launching in April, the most memorable moment of Chafee's campaign came on Day One, when he used part of his announcement speech to call for the United States to use the metric system.But in bowing out at a DNC event on Friday was another sign that Clinton's candidacy was dominating the Democratic field.
"Obviously it was a good week for Secretary Clinton," said the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat. "She did well in the debates and then Senator Webb got out, Vice President Biden declined to join the race, she did well in the Benghazi hearing and Gov. Chafee got out of the race."

No major damage, deaths from Patricia

Mexico — Early reports on the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia — one of the biggest storms to ever make landfall — were cautiously optimistic: No deaths reported and no signs of major damage along Mexico's Pacific seaboard.TV stations in Mexico broadcast news on Hurricane Patricia throughout the night, showing bright-red satellite images of the monster storm’s landfall on the Pacific Coast and its slow trudge northeast and interviews with residents and officials near the impacted area.Landslides and flash floods were reported, but the mass evacuations that occurred prior to the hurricane’s landing appeared to have worked in saving lives. There were no deaths initially reported or major infrastructure damage, according to early TV reports. Residents from Colima to Puerto Vallarta heeded the warnings and evacuated out of dangerous areas or stayed indoors.
Mario Anguiano, governor of the state of Colima, which includes the coastal city of Manzanillo, toured the impacted area just before midnight Friday – nearly six hours after Patricia’s landfall – and saw minor damage to buildings and roads but said there were no reported deaths or major damage to infrastructure, such as downed bridges.“The saving of lives has been exceptional,” he said in an interview with Milenio Television.Puerto Vallarte resident Carlos Guzman told CNN en Español that his neighborhood never lost power during the storm and he was able to stay in touch with friends in different parts of the city. Rain pelted the city relentlessly, but he noticed no downed trees or power lines in his immediate area, Guzman said. He credited widespread evacuations in the popular resort city for the lack of injuries.“Thank God, we’re in perfect condition,” he told the newscast.Early Saturday, President Enrique Peña Nieto released a televised statement in which he urged Mexicans to stay vigilant but confirmed the storm did less damage than anticipated.“The first reports say the damage has been minor compared to a hurricane of this magnitude,” he said. “But we can’t let our guard down now.”As of early Saturday, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 75 mph, down from the Category 5 winds of 200 mph on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. The decreased winds mean the hurricane, which made landfall in Mexico on Friday night, is now a Category 1 storm.

Friday 23 October 2015

Fans race to get 'Back to the Future' paper

What's the best way to celebrate the future? With a print newspaper, of course — specifically, with the same Oct. 22, 2015, edition of USA TODAY thatMarty McFly picked up in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II.Fans flocked to newsstands to grab a copy of Thursday's nostalgia-laden USA TODAY, which is wrapped in a prop replica of the paper featured in the time-travel movie starring Michael J. Fox.From the Cubs sweeping the World Series (so close, yet so far), to a study on cholesterol curing cancer (hello, Paleo ... kind of) to a review of Jaws 19 (is Sharknado really that different?!), fans reveled in this alternate — but shockingly believable — reality of 2015.




Hillary Clinton triumphed at the Benghazi hearing by not losing her cool

"What difference, at this point, does it make?" Clinton shouted at Johnson, waving her arms demonstrably.Republicans immediately seized on that made-for-cable-TV moment as a sign of Clinton's frustration at being asked to explain the deaths of Americans. Soon, it was all over the Internet.Clinton clearly had that outburst on her mind as she prepared for the marathon day of questioning about what she knew, when she knew it and how she reacted in the run-up and wake of the attacks in Benghazi. Her opening statement was a somber remembrance of the four men who died in September 2012; she cast her appearance before the committee as her way of honoring their service. Time after time, she refused to be goaded to anger by pointed questions by Republican members of the committee, deflecting the queries with either humor or unfamiliarity. (I don't know those people, I didn't see that document, etc.)
At the same time, Clinton was far from deferential when she disagreed. Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo (R), for example, pushed Clinton to explain why so many security requests regarding Benghazi had been made but not fulfilled. “I have to respectfully disagree,” Clinton said. “Many security requests were fulfilled.”And so it went. Republicans doing everything they could to force Clinton into an admission that her timelines or her assumptions were wrong, Democrats allowing Clinton time to clean up any mistakes or misstatements she made while bashing their GOP colleagues for the partisan nature of the hearing.The most heated exchange of the hearing, in fact, came between committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) at the end of the morning session over the role Clinton friend Sidney Blumenthal played in influencing Clinton's thinking on Libya. Clinton, fittingly, stayed entirely out of the fray.As the hearing wore on -- and the politicians got tired -- things turned slightly more pointed. Gowdy pushed Clinton repeatedly on the neutrality -- or lack thereof -- of the State Department's Accountability Review Board, which led Clinton to "apologize" for his dislike of the ARB's findings. She also forcefully defended the work (and honor) of retired Adm. Mike Mullen, who served as vice chairman of the ARB.The newslessness of the hearing was a triumph for Clinton. There was no negative sound bite from her. No acknowledgement of error. No moment of real weakness or confusion about the events that unfolded on Sept. 11-12, 2012.  The hearing was, in a word, boring. And that's exactly what Clinton wanted.

Лига Европы, 3-й тур, "Днепр" - "Сент-Этьен" - 0:1: онлайн-трансляция Подробности читайте на УНИАН

этой игре сойдутся команды, которые занимают 2-е и 4-е места в турнирной таблице Группы G ЛЕ. "Днепр" в первом матче на своем поле сыграл вничью с "Лацио" (1:1), а затем обыграл в гостях в норвежском Тронхейме местный "Русенборг" (1:0). В свою очередь, французы сыграли вничью с "Русенборгом" (2:2) и уступили "Лацио" - 2:3.Спаренные матчи с "Сент-Этьеном" являются важнейшими для днепропетровской команды в турнирном плане. Победы в этих играх позволят "Днепру" гарантировать себе выход в плей-офф - весеннюю часть соревнований.Команды уже встречались на групповой стадии ЛЕ прошлого сезона, когда французы дома удержали ничью - 0:0, а "Днепр" выиграл в Киеве - 1:0. Прошлогодняя победа над "Сент-Этьеном" открыла "Днепру" дорогу в плей-офф, а значит и в финал Лиги Европы. Всего же, в рамках еврокубков днепропетровская команда провела 10 матчей с соперниками из Франции - 1 победа, 7 ничьих и 2 поражения. У "Сент-Этьена" также была встреча с киевским "Динамо" в рамках 1/4 финала Кубка европейских чемпионов 1975/76, где французы были сильнее по сумме двух игр - 0:2 в Киеве и 3:0 дома. При этом, основное время ответного матча завершилось вничью, а решающий гол французы забили в дополнительное время. Таким образом, общая статистика такова - 1 победа, 1 ничья и 2 поражения.
После 9 августа, когда "Днепр" уступил дома киевскому "Динамо" (1:2), команда не проигрывает. За это время был обыгран "Шахтер" (2:0), были добыты ничья и победа в еврокубках. А в субботу, в рамках Премьер-лиги, "Днепр" и вовсе разгромил днепродзержинскую "Сталь" со счетом 6:0!"Я остался доволен не только настроем команды, но и тем, что мы наконец-то стали забивать, - сдержанно хвалит своих футболистов Маркевич. - Теперь было бы неплохо сохранить эту тенденцию". Лестных слов, и не только за последний матч, заслуживает Евгений Селезнев. Покер в ворота "Стали" - очередное свидетельство того, что ударный форвард ныне близок к своей лучшей форме. Напомним, что в его же активе и оба еврокубковых гола днепропетровцев в нынешнем сезоне - в ворота "Лацио" и "Русенборга".Матч состоится при пустых трибунах, так как "Днепр" продолжает отбывать наказание за поведение болельщиков в весенней стадии еврокубков прошлого сезона 2014/15.На котировках букмекерских контор фаворитом игры считается "Днепр". На победу хозяев поля можно поставить с коэффициентом 2,09 к 1, в то время как на ничью - 3,22 к 1, а на победу "Сент-Этьена" - 3,56 к 1.
Подробности читайте на УНИАН:http://www.unian.net/sport/1159881-unian-provedet-onlayn-translyatsiyu-matcha-ligi-evropyi-dnepr-sent-eten.html

Thursday 22 October 2015

The $10,000 hoverboard that will send you right into the future

Ever wanted to take off like Marty McFly, without having to bend the space-time continuum?The DeLorean might still be some way off, but in the present hoverboard technology is cruising along nicely -- and its flagship model just got an upgrade.Hendo 2.0, the updated version of the hoverboard that caught everyone's attention exactly one year ago, has just been released, and it's quite something.
The hoverboard, the result of a collaboration with skateboard maestro Tony Hawk, works by using what is known as Magnetic Field Architecture hover engine technology."The hover engine creates a primary magnetic field which is then put over a candidate surface like aluminum or copper" explains Greg Henderson, co-founder and CEO of Arx Pax, the company behind the invention. "The hover engine then creates swirls of electricity and those create a secondary magnetic field, which propels the firsts."But the concept is more than just turning a science fiction vision into reality: "Essentially we are providing a tool," explains Greg.Arx Pax is making just 11 of the boards, to be shipped to backers of its initial Kickstarter funding campaign across the world: "Our second-generation hover engines which power Hendo 2.0 are stronger, more efficient, and open up new possibilities for the way we transport objects and people" says Jill Henderson, fellow co-founder of Arx Pax. They are not planning a wider release just yet, as the device is essentially a proof of concept."We've all heard of wearables. Now it's time to start thinking about moveables," she argues.Even Bob Gale, the screenwriter and producer who created the original hoverboard concept for the Back to the Future film, is a fan of the design: "It was a total high riding the Hendo because it embodied what we were trying to create in 1989. The Hendersons' movie-inspired technology has led to not only a functional hoverboard, but also other fascinating hover applications."For the Hendersons this type of technology has the potential to make a real difference across a whole range of industries, including transportation, structural isolation, industrial automation and even space exploration."If you don't have to touch the ground, what more does that enable?" asks Greg. Arx Pax say the potential could mean being able to isolate structures from unwanted movements, which could have huge applications for buildings in Earthquake zones. It would also lead to changes in car assembly, allowing it to no longer be linear and in space to use magnetic tethering devises to grab satellites magnetically.Arx Pax's Magnetic Field Architecture is also being made available to teams competing in SpaceX's Hyperloop pod competition. It's designed to help accelerate the development of the Hyperloop, the proposed vacuum tube transportation system that would take passengers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in a mere 20 minutes, at 760 miles per hour.Longer term the significance of the technology goes way beyond what we can imagine. "All we talk about is hovering, but the technology goes way beyond that" explains Greg. "This leads to a more efficient transmission of electromagnetic energy." The possibilities are huge.But for many the big question is still, when will we get personal hoverboards? The answer according to Jill is no longer a matter of if, but when.

THE NEW IPHONE EMOJIS HAVE ARRIVED


While many of the emojis are fun and fanciful (we're looking at you, unicorn emoji) there is one emoji that carries a powerful message.The Witness emoji, a black-and-white eye in a speech bubble, is part of the "I Am A Witness" anti-bullying initiative from the Ad Council, a nonprofit that runs public-service campaigns. The hope is that teens, or anyone, that witnesses bullying can use the emoji to show their support for the victim and let the person exhibiting the bullying behavior know that someone is watching."I have a 13-year-old daughter, and she speaks in emojis," Ad Council CEO Lisa Sherman told Recode.net. "This generation of kids, that's their language. In thinking about the best way to connect with them, working in that world seemed to make the most sense."An iOS update earlier this year included more than 300 new emojis, including ethnically diverse faces, same sex couples and international flags. In January, Taco Bell started a online petition for the addition of a taco emoji that garnered more than 30,000 signatures.So whether your texts are about your new favorite sport, your plans for Taco Tuesday, or in support of someone going through a difficult time, your iPhone now has the emojis you need.

5 ways Joe Biden's decision changes the 2016 race

The two leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination won't have to face off against the formidable -- and always unpredictable -- Vice President Joe Biden, who announced Wednesday afternoon that he won't make a late entrance into the Democratic race.Now, it's former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders alone in the party's top tier of 2016 candidates.Here's a look at five ways Biden's decision will affect the presidential race:There's no doubt Biden's decision will help Clinton's poll numbers more than Sanders' in the short term.Polls have consistently shown Biden siphoned most of his support from Clinton. A CNN/ORC poll last week showed that Clinton held a 16 percentage point lead -- 45% to Sanders' 29% -- with Biden in the race and drawing 18% support. But with Biden removed from the list of candidates, Clinton's lead widened to 23 percentage points, at 56% to Sanders' 33%.Sanders has sought to run to Clinton's left. Biden, meanwhile, would have staked a claim on the legacy of President Barack Obama -- attempting to inherit much of the coalition that had swept him into office twice while also appealing to older blue-collar voters.Unless someone like Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley shocks the political world by climbing out of the low single digits in the polls, Clinton now has a one-on-one race for the Democratic nomination.Still, longer-term, Biden's exit could help Sanders: He's now the only high-polling Democratic alternative to Clinton, which means if she stumbles or voters sour on her campaign, he stands to be the sole beneficiary.A Biden candidacy might have transformed the Democratic primary into a more free-wheeling campaign.Biden himself has admitted he's known for saying what he means -- which isn't exactly the reputation of Clinton, who's seen as stage-managed to a fault.Neither perception is entirely true: Biden, after all, is still a politician and subject to focus-group tested remarks. Clinton, meanwhile, has sought to bring a looser style to the trail, delivering a comfortable and confident performance in the first Democratic debate and poking fun at herself by appearing on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

Seong-Jin Cho: Nie pamiętam, jak to wygrałem

Na wyniki czekano już od godz. 22 we wtorek. W tzw. sali lustrzanej Filharmonii Narodowej ludzie siedzieli na schodach, koczowali w holu przy szatniach. Artur Szklener, dyrektor Konkursu około godz. 0.40 zaczął odczytywać kolejność nagród od szóstej do pierwszej. Gdy się okazało, że Amerykance Kate Liu przyznano trzecie miejsce, a Kanadyjczykowi Charlesowi Richardowi-Hamelinowi - drugie, sprawa stała się jasna. Na najwyższym podium mógł stanąć tylko Seong-Jin Cho z Korei Południowej.
Spore zaskoczenie, choć Koncert e-moll w finale zagrał bardzo dobrze, jest też pianistą z dużym potencjałem i umiejętnościami. Kłopot w tym, że jego charakter pisma jako pianisty nie pokrywa się z tekstem Chopina. Szyszkin potrafi zagrać finezyjnie, ale ma skłonność do masywnego dźwięku i do patosu, przy czym poetyka jego interpretacji jest odległa od chopinowskiej. Nagroda prawdopodobnie za bardzo dobrą pianistykę i fenomenalnie zagrane etiudy op. 10 w pierwszym etapie.



Niespełna 17-letni pianista chińskiego pochodzenia, na którego interpretacje z pewnością wywarł wpływ Dang Thái Son, jego dawny nauczyciel i zdobywca I nagrody w X Konkursie. Yang to odkrycie Konkursu, czystej wody talent z głębokim wyczuciem intymnego charakteru muzyki Chopina. Koncert e-moll zagrał bardzo dobrze, choć w trzeciej części, która wymaga blasku, trochę osłabł. Nagroda to przejaw uznania jurorów dla jego rozwijającego się talentu.Niespełna 18-letni Amerykanin pięknie zagrał cykl Preludiów op. 28, wyróżniał się znakomitym warsztatem i muzykalnością, jednak koncert z orkiestrą (e-moll) to był jego najsłabszy występ w całym Konkursie, co mogło zaważyć na ostatecznym wyniku.
Dla wielu obserwatorów to właśnie 21-letnia Kate Liu powinna być zwyciężczynią. Zwróciła na siebie uwagę już w pierwszym etapie wspaniałym wyczuciem czasu muzycznego, frapującą narracją, witalnością dźwięku. Z etapu na etap grała coraz lepiej, a tłum fanów wokół niej się zagęszczał. Bez wątpienia jest poetką fortepianu. Najlepszy dowód? Nagroda Polskiego Radia za najlepsze wykonanie mazurków.Najlepszy konkursowy występ w pierwszym etapie, w wyniku którego Richard-Hamelin wyrósł ponad innych uczestników i stał się głównym pretendentem do I nagrody. Dojrzałe, mądre, wzorowane na dawnych mistrzach fortepianu (Ignacy Friedman) interpretacje. Klasyczne ujęcie i opanowanie, jednak do czasu. W trzecim etapie w Sonacie h-moll dał się ponieść emocjom, zaczął robić błędy, ale pierwszy raz rozpalił ogień. Efekt to nagroda specjalna od Krystiana Zimermana za ten utwór.
Ma 21 lat i nagrody na wielu prestiżowych konkursach. Faworyt od pierwszego etapu, przez wszystkie rundy grał wspaniale. Perfekcję techniczną łączy z podskórnym żarem. Polonez As-dur op. 53 - porywający (wyróżniony nagrodą Towarzystwa im. Fryderyka Chopina za najlepsze wykonanie poloneza), Sonata b-moll - rewelacyjna, Koncert e-moll w finale - wysokie loty, utrafienie w sedno, w młodzieńczy, wczesnoromantyczny styl Chopina. Zwycięzca bez dwóch zdań.Ostatnie finałowe koncerty zabrzmiały we wtorek wieczorem (20.45), a później wszyscy zastygli w oczekiwaniu na werdykt. Był gotowy kwadrans po północy, ale jeszcze pół godziny zwlekano z jego ogłoszeniem. Potem w sali kameralnej Filharmonii Narodowej zwołano konferencję prasową. Obecni na niej jurorzy: Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (przewodnicząca), Dang Thái Son i John Rink, mimo zmęczenia, zdecydowali się poświęcić czas dziennikarzom. - To był bardzo ciekawy Konkurs o wyrównanym wysokim poziomie, dlatego do ostatniej chwili nie wiedzieliśmy, jaki będzie owoc pracy 17 jurorów - przyznała przewodnicząca.Podkreśliła, że po raz pierwszy w historii Konkursu zwycięzca pochodzi z Korei Południowej, choć nie jest pierwszym zwycięzcą z Azji. Wcześniej zostali nimi Wietnamczyk Dang Thái Son (1980) i Chińczyk Yundi Li (2000) - obaj zasiedli w jury XVII Konkursu.
Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń powiedziała też, że w Konkursie pojawiła się mocna ekipa kanadyjska i że cieszy się z nagrody dla Kate Liu, którą poznała w Korei, gdy Amerykanka została laureatką 3. Międzynarodowego Konkursu Chopinowskiego regionu Azji i Pacyfiku.
To najdłuższy konkurs pianistyczny na świecie, trwa trzy tygodnie, a jednak wielu kolegów jurorów żałowało, że się już skończył - dodała.Z kolei Dang Thái Son wyraził radość z powodu wygranej pianisty pochodzącego z Dalekiego Wschodu, obecności pięciu Azjatów w finale i dwojga na podium. - Zmienia się podejście do pianistyki. Nie można już mówić o polskiej szkole pianistycznej ani w ogóle o szkołach narodowych. Świat się otworzył, jest przepływ inspiracji, inaczej niż w moich czasach. Dostrzegam trend ku bardziej zróżnicowanej interpretacji - powiedział wybitny pianista.


American Horror Story

Mental notes taken while watching the third episode of American Horror Story: Hotel: Check your mattresses extra carefully before getting into bed, and don’t even think about haunting Sally’s hallways.The death count — and undead count — grew even higher this week, plus we saw the arrival of Angela Bassett (we’ll get to that in a bit) and even a Ponzi scheme, for good measure.The episode opens with Tristan strutting around the hotel like he owns the joint, and making nice with Evan Peters’ ghostly James Patrick March. “I know everything about you,” he tells him (How? Google, of course). Flattered by the psychotic praise, March encourages him to put all the Cortez’s secret murder hallways to good use (there’s a glimpse of a “Black Closet” I would not be surprised if we visit again at some point this season, if only in my nightmares). But they’re interrupted by Will Drake and his fashion editor pal Claudia, who marvel at Tristan’s new youthfulness and the lack of scar on his face before turning their attention to how they want to renovate the hotel. Tristan tells March and Miss Evers not to worry, because he’s going to take care of it.

Turns out, the Countess also has a plan for Will Drake, and it involves equal parts marriage and murder. She lost everything she had to Bernie Madoff (a different sort of vampire, one of the financial variety) and wants to marry Will for his money before killing him. So Tristan will need to put his bloody plans on hold, at least for now.
Someone else with a plan is Ramona Royale (Angela Bassett, making her entrance to this AHS season). She’s a badass B-movie star who wants to cross over into mainstream Hollywood. A meeting with a producer leads to her crossing paths with the Countess, who seduced her and then passed on the ancient blood virus. They stayed together through decades (and clothing trends) until 1991, when Ramona falls for a rapper named Prophet Moses. But when she turns him with her blood so they can be together forever, she falls on her ex’s bad side in a big way — the Countess follows them to a recording studio and kills everyone, Ramona’s new love included. Seems the Countess isn’t a fan of her creations creating their own undead creations. Now, Ramona wants revenge, and she wants Donovan to help.The focus on mothers and children this season also continued with both Alex and Iris. Alex admits she bonded more strongly with Holden than with Scarlett or John, and it destroyed her when he disappeared. In a therapy session, she questions why Scarlett would make up stories about seeing Holden at the hotel, but she insists it really happened — the room with the video games, the tiny glass coffins, how her brother smelled like lavender…which is exactly how Alex remembered Holden smelling as a baby. Suddenly, her story seems less ludicrous and becomes even less so when Alex encounters him later inside the hotel. “Hi, Mommy,” has never sounded so creepy. The mommy issues are even murkier for Iris and Donovan. She wants them to move out together now that he and the Countess are on the outs, but he’s holding onto a serious grudge that spans back to childhood, including trauma induced by their joining an “insane vegetarian cult.” (“I had so much fiber in my diet, I s–t my pants at school,” he seethes.) Iris tries to plead with him — if she’s not his mother, she says, she doesn’t know who she is. He responds that if that’s the case, she should just kill herself.She takes his words to heart and enlists help from Sally, who issues a warning (“Don’t haunt my hallways, b—-”) before injecting her with enough drugs to “kill an entire marching band.” When that doesn’t work, she moves to Plan B: a plastic bag. But before she suffocates, Donovan — fresh from a heart to heart with Liz Taylor about the unconditional nature of a mother’s love — enters just in time and saves Iris by slicing his arm and passing her the ancient blood virus. What was that Ramona had said about the Countess not liking her vampires creating new vampires?