NCAA 2011-2012: Ohio State's Sam Thompson Alley-Oop Inbounds Dunk vs Indiana

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YouGotDunkedOn/~3/D92juD71Xbo/ncaa-2011-2012-ohio-states-sam-thompson.html

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Japan-bound Kennesaw native has 'never been more in love' with baseball

by Adam Carrington
acarrington@mdjonline.com
The Marietta Daily Journal

Stephen Douglas has yet to fulfill his dream of playing Major League Baseball after six years of competing in the minor leagues.

But the former Kennesaw Mountain High School and East Tennessee State star still says he's living the dream - one that has seen him play for nine teams in seven states since his days as a Mustang.

Now, the dream will bring him east to a 10th team - Far East.

The 26-year-old outfielder recently signed with the Kagawa Olive Guyners of Japan's Shikoku Island League, an independent team based about 400 miles west of Tokyo - by far, the furthest of all the far-off stops he's made since graduating from Kennesaw Mountain.

Many players may begin considering new career paths when they haven't progressed beyond the low Class A?ranks after six years, but not Douglas.

The 26-year-old still has time on his side, knowing many major leaguers don't retire until they're in their late 30s or early 40s, and there are many players his age who are in the same situation.

And the biggest reason Douglas continues to play is that he's still learning the game and improving.

"Some people, when things don't go their way, lose their love for the game," Douglas said. "With age, baseball becomes more interesting. Man, I'm telling you, I've never been more in love with baseball right now, and it's continuing to be a passion. You're still learning."

Douglas learned a lot about himself when he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 16th round of the 2006 draft, following his junior season with the East Tennessee State. He learned to be himself and play to his strengths, which is hitting for average and driving in runs.

In looking back upon his pro career, one possible theory as to why Douglas hasn't been able to progress very quickly in the professional ranks is the high demand for outfielders who can slug 30 or more home runs a year.

At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Douglas isn't built to be a power hitter. He wasn't a home run hitter for Kennesaw Mountain, and didn't hit many home runs while he was at East Tennessee State.

Even though Douglas hit .263 in '06 with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Indians' short-season Class A affiliate in Niles, Ohio, he only hit .224 with no homers the following year.

Douglas' struggles improving his power numbers may have contributed to the Indians' reasoning behind releasing him in 2007.

"So many people are caught up in power numbers, and that's probably it," said Kennesaw Mountain coach George Hansen, who coached Douglas from 2001-03. "He's a guy who is well-rounded and can do a lot of things well, but not one thing super-well. We're living in a time when people want players to do one thing super-well. Stephen is an old-school type of player born in the wrong time frame."

Douglas did admit that his lack of power got to his head in the past, and he would find himself swinging for the fence. But once he matured and recognized his strengths and weaknesses, his numbers improved drastically in the independent leagues.

After spending 2008 with the Amarillo Dillas of the United League, and '09 with the Traverse City Beach Bums and Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League - where he hit a combined .171 with the two teams - Douglas returned to Amarillo in 2010 and prospered.

He raised his average to .316 in 2010, totaling eight homers, 56 RBIs and 35 stolen bases - all career-highs.

Last year, though he bounced among three teams - the El Paso Diablos, Grand Prairie AirHogs and Lancaster Barnstormers - Douglas continued to succeed, hitting a combined .380 with 39 doubles and 79 RBIs in 103 games.

"You can't try to do too much," Douglas said. "Most of baseball is mental. You have to understand that you can't hit a double at every at-bat. There are always elements working against you. Baseball is a game of failure. You're going to let your team down and yourself down. You just have to take it in stride and stay positive."

One of Douglas' better memories as a pro came this past season, when he went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the game that sealed the American Association championship for Grand Prairie. Afterwards, he was traded to Lancaster where he maintained a solid .412 average in 17 at-bats.

Douglas' success last season helped him become one of eight American players selected to cross the Pacific Ocean and play on the other side of the globe. As a new member of the Kagawa Olive Guyners, he has an opportunity to gain exposure.

Douglas will head to the Japan in early March, a month before the 2012 season, which lasts from April through September. He also has a growing family as he and his wife, Rebecca, are expecting their first child in February.

Douglas is anticipating a solid season in a new country but knows he may go through some lumps. If he should struggle in a game, he can always remind himself of one of his philosophies - just like a fine wine, baseball gets better with age.

Source: http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/16939088

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Video: Bachmann: I?m going to win

Boot Hezbollah from Twitter or we sue, group says

An Israeli law center said Thursday it is threatening to sue Twitter unless the social network cuts off access to groups, including Hezbollah, that are considered terrorist organizations by the United States.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45819210#45819210

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Jonathan Ive Knighthood: Apple's Design Chief Awarded Knighthood In United Kingdom

iPhone. iPad. iKnight.

Jonathan Ive, Apple's head of design, has been honored with a knighthood in the United Kingdom.

Per BBC News, Ive, a native of Chingford, was awarded with the title Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).

The design guru worked closely with the late Steve Jobs and played a key role in the creation of such iconic Apple products as the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.

As the San Jose Mercury News reports, Ive released a statement responding to the knighthood announcement:

"I am keenly aware that I benefit from a wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making,'' Ive, 44, said in a statement. "To be recognized with this honour is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful. I discovered at an early age that all I've ever wanted to do is design. I feel enormously fortunate that I continue to be able to design and make products with a truly remarkable group of people here at Apple."

Earlier this year, the Associated Press reported on Ive's background:

Ive started out far from Apple Inc.'s Cupertino headquarters. He grew up outside London and studied design at Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University) in Newcastle, England. After finishing school, he co-founded a London-based design company called Tangerine. There, he designed a range of products including combs and power tools. It was through Tangerine that he first got to work with Apple.

In 1992, while Jobs was still in the midst of a 12-year exile from Apple, the company's design chief at the time, Robert Brunner, hired Ive as a senior designer. Thomas Meyerhoffer, who worked under Ive at Apple in the `90s, believes Ive came because he understood Apple was different from other computer companies.

Bloomberg Businessweek, profiling Ive in 2006, explained that he became head of Apple's design team in 1996. Upon Steve Jobs' 1997 return to Apple, the late CEO recognized Ive's incredible talents. Jobs, quoted by biographer Walter Isaacson, explained that he set up a structure at Apple in which "There's no one who can tell him [Ive] what to do." As AppleInsider reports, Jobs viewed Ive as his "spiritual partner" at Apple.

Ive's designs can be found on the desks and in the pockets of millions of people. In addition, the Museum of Modern Art in New York houses six classic products designed by Ive: the G4 Cube Computer, the G4 Cube Speakers, the Harman Kardon iSub, the iBook, the iMac G4 Desktop and the original iPod. His massive impact on the design of technology was recognized by FORTUNE magazine in 2010 when the publication named Ive the Smartest Designer in Tech.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/30/jonathan-ive-knighthood_n_1177169.html

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Elephants race, play soccer in Nepal festival

Soccer-playing elephants used all four feet and even their trunks trying to score goals. Racing pachyderms thundered to the finish line to the cheers of the crowds. And in the elephant beauty pageant, contestants sported nail polish on their not-so-dainty toes.

It was all part of an elephant-themed festival in Nepal that wrapped up Wednesday. The three-day event was held to promote conservation awareness and lure foreign visitors to Nepal.

The elephants were trained for weeks for the games, taking time off their normal jobs carrying tourists through protected jungles near Chitwan. The conservation forest has rhinos, several species of deer and crocodiles and is a popular tourist spot some 106 miles south of the capital, Katmandu.

"We hope that the elephant festival will help bring more tourists to Chitwan. We need both foreign and domestic visitors," said Ghanashyam Shrestha, one of the organizers.

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Video: Elephants face off in soccer match (on this page)

Teaching elephants soccer
Tourism is picking up in Nepal as it slowly recovers from a 10-year Maoist insurgency that killed more than 13,000 people. The conflict ended after the rebels gave up their armed revolt and joined a peace process in 2006.

But the tourists who mainly come to hike the Himalayan country's many mountains aren't returning fast enough for some. Nepal received some 600,000 visitors in 2010, short of the goal of 1 million set by the government declaring the Nepal Tourism Year.

Organizers of events like the elephant festival ? which draws on a popular elephant polo event held elsewhere in Nepal ? hope more colorful events will increase interest in tourism.

The final event, a 300-meter race, was won by an elephant named Bajadur Gaj, who pounded his way to the finish line in 69 seconds as thousands of locals and foreign tourists cheered.

Story: On your mark, get set, trot! Woman races her pet camel

Teams of four elephants also played soccer matches using a standard-size ball . The elephants blocked passes, kicked the ball and batted it with their trunks, pushing each other for control of the play.

"Training the elephants to play soccer was not easy but they learned the basic command. They understood they need to hit the ball when I yell 'kick' at them," said Basudev Mahato, 37, an elephant mahout who has been training and riding elephants for 15 years.

The elephants are between 4 and 5 years old. Young ones are easier to train and run faster, Mahato said.

At the Hattishar elephant camp, trainers and workers cleaned up the elephants, fed them a special meal of rice and sugar wrapped in grass and painted them to prepare them for the event.

Over at the beauty pageant, a trainer painted white patterns on an elephant named Loktantrakali, then varnished her toenails bright red.

Judges ? who checked contestants bodies' for scars and overall beauty and also watched them perform tricks ? picked Loktantrakali as the second-prize winner.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45805369/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/

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Stock index futures signal mixed open (Reuters)

(Reuters) Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street for the last session of the year on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.06 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.22 percent at 0930 GMT.

* European stocks inched higher in thin trade, with a number of euro zone indexes set to post 2011 losses of about 20 percent, hammered by the region's debt crisis.

* The U.S. Federal Reserve's balance sheet grew in the latest week with a rise in central bank liquidity swaps, even though holdings of Treasuries and agency debt declined, Fed data

showed on Thursday.

* The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission got a fresh dressing-down from the judge who rejected its $285 million settlement with Citigroup Inc (C.N), as he said the regulator kept him out of the loop on its efforts to salvage the case.

* Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD.O) identified 79 of the 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores it said earlier this week it would close, with the list split almost evenly between the two chains.

* U.S. stocks rallied on Thursday, moving the S&P 500 back into positive territory for 2011 ahead of the last trading day of the year, on more positive signals on the U.S. economy.

* The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) shot up 135.63 points, or 1.12 percent, to 12,287.04 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) gained 13.38 points, or 1.07 percent, to 1,263.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) advanced 23.76 points, or 0.92 percent, to 2,613.74.

* The S&P 500 edged above its 200-day moving average, a key measure of the market's long-term momentum.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by David Holmes)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111230/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Health Tip: Dealing With Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

(HealthDay News) -- Getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease doesn't mean life as you know it is ending. People with Alzheimer's can lead a purposeful and productive life if they take steps to care for their physical and mental health, the Alzheimer's Association says.

Here's what the association recommends to protect physical health:

  • Get regular physical checkups.
  • Take all medications as directed by a physician.
  • Eat a healthy diet.
  • Be physically active every day.
  • Get rest when fatigued.
  • Limit alcohol intake.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111230/hl_hsn/healthtipdealingwithalzheimers

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AMC renews "Hell on Wheels" for second season (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? AMC has renewed its second highest-rated show for a second season.

"Hell on Wheels," which premiered in November, is averaging 3.2 million viewers as it tells the post-Civil War story of Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) as he seeks revenge against his wife's killers.

Bohannon's journey puts him in the middle of construction of the first transcontinental railroad, overseen by greedy Doc Durant (Colm Meaney). Among his fellow citizens in the traveling town of Hell on Wheels are emancipated slave Elam Ferguson (musician/actor Common) and Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott), a recent widow trying to survive in a male-dominated world.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/tv_nm/us_hellonwheels

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tllanes: RT @ZenShadow: I love the smell of GOP Candidates airing their dirty laundry in the morning! #caucusthis

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Gaza Terrorists Fire Rockets at Southern Israel

Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists launched a Qassam rocket attack Monday night at southern Israel.

The attack, launched from northern Gaza, was aimed at Israel's Gaza Belt region, located only a few kilometers from the Hamas terrorist-run region.

Qassam rockets, although modified in the past several years, still are limited to a range of approximately 10 to 15 kilometers.?One rocket reached southern Israel, landing in an open area in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district.

No one was injured and no damage was reported.

The attack was the third in four days; Gaza terrorists fired two Qassam rockets at the Western Negev on Saturday evening. The two rockets landed in the Ashkelon Coastal Regional district and the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district.

On Friday, the Eshkol Regional Council district was shelled as well.?There were no physical injuries and no damage reported in any of the attacks.

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151108

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