The Land Time Forgot: Sheffield General Cemetery

(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)


Since its closure in 1978, the General Cemetery in Sheffield has become a tangled exhibition of plants and undergrowth. The classically influenced buildings have long since been bricked up and fallen into disrepair, while the tombstones of Sheffield’s Victorian luminaries disappear into the undergrowth. Ironically, the final resting place of 87,000 people has become a tranquil haven where plant and animal life blossoms unhindered, and looks more like the land time forgot than its once neat arrangement of tombs and terracing.

(Images licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)

A dream location for historians and urban explorers, Sheffield General Cemetery opened in 1836 as a Nonconformist burial ground – then a popular movement among the city’s leading industrialists. It was one of the first landscape cemeteries to be developed and paved the way for a national movement away from overcrowded church yards. The original buildings, including gate house, catacombs and Nonconformist chapel, feature designs influenced by classical Egyptian and Greek Doric (by architect Samuel Worth).




(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)

An Anglican chapel designed by William Flockton was added in 1850 adjacent to the Cemetery Road entrance. Built in the Gothic tradition, the abandoned chapel is notable for having a steeple that is oversized by comparison to the rest of the building. This feature is deliberate, as the chapel was designed to be noticed – rather ominous considering a good deal of the business conducted there was funerals…




(Images licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic)

An interesting surviving feature is the Dissenters’ Wall, which runs from Cemetery Road to the Porter Brook near the main entrance. The wall marked the separation between the Nonconformist and consecrated Anglican burial grounds. After the cemetery passed into the ownership of the local council following its closure in 1978, around 800 graves were cleared from the Anglican section to make way for a park. Since then, the site has become completely overgrown, although it is both charming and mysterious as a result.

(Images licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)

While a dove denoting the Holy Spirit is engraved above the General Cemetery’s main entrance, it has also been suggested that the location of the entrance next to the Porter Brook symbolises the soul’s final journey across the River Styx in Greek mythology. The General Cemetery is unique due to the decorative ironwork adorning many of the more affluent graves, highlighting Sheffield’s place as a national and global steel centre during the Victorian era.


(Image published under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Famous residents include prominent industrialists Mark Firth and James Nicholson; George Bassett, inventor of Liquorice Allsorts; John Fowler, father of the man who designed the Forth Rail Bridge; James Montgomery, poet and publisher; John, Thomas and Skelton Cole, founders of Cole Brothers Department Store; Chartists Samuel Holberry and Isaac Ironside; Francis Dickinson, “one of the six hundred” taking part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War; and finally, George Partington, who ran off at the age of 17 to fight in the Crimea. One of the Heavy Brigade, he was badly wounded at Balaclava but nursed back to health by “the lady of the lamp” Florence Nightingale. Partington survived the battles of Balaclava, Inkerman and the siege of Sevastopol, but was later killed after being thrown from his horse.

(Image published under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

But it’s not all wealth and heroism. The cemetery is also home to thousands of others whose grave stones tell the tragic tale of social and economic deprivation that accompanied the wealth of Victorian England. Many of the terraces are created from grave stones, either those of “paupers” or reclaimed from the cleared Anglican area. Today, the Friends of the General Cemetery work hard to preserve this historic place, while the untamed foliage bestows a look somewhere between gothic horror and Tim Burton… But what’s clear is that Sheffield’s premier Victorian cemetery has become one of the city’s most mysterious abandoned places. Find more fantastic photographs of the cemetery in this series by Decadence.me.uk.

Incredible new Motion Sensing Computer Technology

Was this Alliance or Human ?????????

Was this Alliance or Human ?????????

Nine different ways to find a new job

The old days of finding a job right out of school and sticking with it until retirement are certainly in the past. In these modern times, people have become more adept at locating new job opportunities.

1. Networking

It is said that the majority of job vacancies are never advertised, often referred to as the "hidden job market." To land these jobs, seekers will need to find a way to get a foot in the door. Networking can go a long way in locating job opportunities; even if no one you know directly has knowledge of a job opening, there's a chance they know someone who does.

Networking can be done both in person and online. You can join professional associations, attend events for graduates of your school, or aim to connect with professionals who work in your field.

Various online tools also exist, such as LinkedIn, which allow you to network with other professionals and learn out about possible job openings. You may also be able to meet other professionals through social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.

2. Referrals

Referrals also come from individuals you know, however, this method may get you an invitation to apply for a position without actually searching for a new a job. Some employers offer incentives to their employees for referring a successful candidate to their company - a win-win situation for everyone. You get a new job, and your contact gets a finder's fee for attracting a top-notch employee.

3. Job Boards and Career Websites

Job boards were traditionally just that - boards posting vacancies and employment opportunities. Though some of these boards may still exist in a literal sense, many job boards have moved toward a virtual format. Often federal or state governments will provide job boards and job banks that job seekers can access.

You can also use job search engines on the internet or the vast number of career-related websites that post job openings, such as Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. These websites function in a similar way to the traditional want-ads, however, they have a much quicker turnaround time and allow you to search a much larger number of jobs over a large area.

4. Job Fairs

Job fairs are typically targeted toward specific industries, though some job or recruitment fairs are more generalized. These ads will usually come with a list of the organizations that will be present. Investigate any companies that interest you, bring a number of resumes and be ready to sell yourself.

Consider any conversations with recruiters as mini interviews that can set you apart from other applicants. Some organizations may even offer on-site interviews to candidates that match their requirements.

5. Company Websites

If you already have your dream employer in mind, why not go directly to the career section of their website? If you watch for openings on their site, there's a chance you'll find just the opportunity that you've been waiting for.

Create a list of employers that you'd like to work for and visit their websites often. If you're really set on working for a specific company it may take some time to find just the opportunity that fits your skill set.

But if you've got the luxury of time, this might be the optimal method for finding your dream job.

6. Cold Calling

If you don't see any job listings posted for a company you're particularly interested in, you might consider making a cold call.

You can use the telephone or email to contact individuals within an organization by finding their contact details on the company website or by inquiring with a receptionist. Contact individuals directly to find out if they foresee any upcoming vacancies, and be sure to attach a copy of your resume to any emails you send.

You can also ask for information about types of jobs, or what kind of skills or qualities the organization looks for in a candidate. Keep in mind that this kind of contact may not always be well received, but there is always a chance it'll give you the inside track on upcoming vacancies.

7. Head Hunters and Recruitment Agencies

If you're looking for some professional help in your job search, head hunters and recruitment agencies can definitely lend a hand (though in some cases it may come at a price).

There are a number of organizations that hire through recruitment agencies because it helps to streamline the lengthy process of locating and interviewing candidates.

Head hunters locate individuals to fill a specific vacancy within an organization or find a position for a job seeker who has hired their services.

Payment is often based upon commission. Keep in mind that many high schools, colleges and universities have job placement services that can help new graduates to develop their resumes and assist both current students and alumni with their job searches.

8. Temping or Internships

Sometimes temporary employment can lead to permanent positions. If you're without work, finding a temporary position with a great company is a great way to get a foot in the door, or provide you with useful business contacts to call upon in the future.

Many recruitment agencies can assist with locating temporary or casual positions and contract work.

Internships are a great choice for students who are just graduating from college and many schools' job placement services can connect students with opportunities. Volunteering can also be a great method for gaining valuable industry contacts.

9. Creative or Outlandish Tactics

In a competitive job market, some job seekers have moved toward more creative methods for drawing attention to themselves.

Billboards, chain letters with a copy of your resume attached, or even pasting your resume to yourself and walking around the city as a human billboard are just some of the methods individuals have used to get noticed by potential employers. Though these methods can actually work, be cautious.

You may get the attention of recruiters, but you may also be sending the wrong message. If you're going to resort to creative techniques, be sure that it's appropriate for the industry in which you're attempting to find employment.

The Bottom Line

In the modern job market, finding the very best job opportunities often requires a combination of methods. Always keep in mind that there are a variety of methods available for finding job opportunities, all with their own strengths and weaknesses, so don't be shy to experiment with a variety of techniques.

MEDIA REPORTS & HOT ISSUES

MEDIA REPORTS & HOT ISSUES

3 Thoughts On The N.Y. Fracking Ban

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office is said to have briefed a small number individuals on Thursday. According to the Times, the governor intends to open up New York to, “one of the fastest-growing — critics would say reckless — areas of the energy industry.”
Hyrdrofracking, or fracking as it is commonly known, is a controversial method of natural gas extraction in which large volumes of water, chemicals and sand are mixed and injected into the ground to access natural gas supplies. The practice is legal in Pennsylvania and several other states, but health and environmental concerns have kept it out of New York for the most part.
Now it appears that is about to change. There is still plenty to be learned about Cuomo’s plans for natural gas development in the Empire State, here are a few things that will likely have to be addressed.

1. No more side-by-side comparison for policies and conflicts of interest
New York’s moratorium on horizontal drilling provided an easy way to compare environmental impacts of the practice to neighboring Pennsylvania. The Marcellus Shale formation lies beneath both states, but each state has taken a different approach to dealing with fracking. While New York has been cautious, Pennsylvania has been the focus of countless environmental and regulatory concerns. Ian Urbina of The New York Times has focused much of his attention this year on reports of Pennsylvania’s inability to properly treat radioactive material in fracking wastewater before it is dumped into waterways.
Pennsylvania has also come under fire for having a regulatory process that is largely controlled by companies involved in fracking. In March, Clean Water Action said that of the 30 members of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, more than a quarter came from companies who directly made donations to the governor’s campaign. During the most recent meeting of that commission, many Pennsylvanians encountered problems voicing their concerns to the commission. If New York plans to have a tight regulatory grip on fracking, its neighbor may not be the best example to follow.
2. What about wastewater?
Since fracking has become more prevalent in Pennsylvania and the West, environmentalists have focused on the possibility of aquifer contamination. While this concern is certainly legitimate, the more immediate concern has been the treatment of millions of gallons of fracking wastewater.
In the West, wastewater is typically stored in pits near frack sites. The lining of these pits and regulations stipulating what can be used for the lining has been a constant source of contention between regulators, the natural gas industry and citizens who live nearby. In places like Arkansas, wastewater has been stored in concrete containment wells. As more of these containment wells have been drilled, Arkansas has seen a sharp increase in earthquakes, something that has occurred in other places like Colorado and Texas where similar wells were drilled decades ago. Another method, used mainly in Pennsylvania, is to simply use treatment facilities to clean up the fracking wastewater before it heads into local rivers and streams. Urbina’s reports about this process have raised concerns about the state’s ability to do this effectively. So what will New York do? State officials clearly have choices — though all of the aforementioned choices have led to some serious wastewater concerns.
3. Can fracking be economical if properly regulated?
The water contamination concerns have led many to believe that the practice must be regulated. Keeping wastewater from spilling, making sure casings are of the correct thickness and continuing to study all of the unknowns, will require a lot of time, effort and money.
So the ultimate question is, if a proper regulatory framework can be put in place, can natural gas be produced in an economical way? This will depend on two factors. The first is the process that New York puts in place if it decides to allow fracking. The second will be the sheer economics of supply and demand. The economic factor will be interesting to watch as already the  natural gas industry’s claims about how much gas is available have been called into question by industry insiders. Given these unknowns, it will be interesting to learn if fracking makes economic sense in the long run. The devil will be in the details.

Source Reveals Girl Scout Cookies Actually Made From Girl Scouts

ABC Bakers, a subsidiary of Richmond, VA based Interbake Foods, Inc., is coming under fire today, after an inside source revealed that the "Official Girl Scout Cookie Bakers" have been using real girl scouts in their cookies, specifically in their "Thin Mints". Under conditions of anonymity, a former disgruntled employee of Interbake sent a written correspondence to the press which read in part,

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have always been somewhat in competition with each other. In the late 1940s, someone noted that the Girl Scout equivalent to the Cub Scout was the Brownie, yet there was no Girl Scout equivalent to the Eagle Scout. This was considered a PR disaster until someone came up with the idea of baking a cookie so highly addictive, no one would ever again presume the Girl Scouts to be inferior to the Boy Scouts.

In a 1-2 punch, they deflected the criticism, and gave the girls who had no place to go after becoming "too old" to be girl scouts, a way to continue their contribution to the organization. These kamikazee girl scouts, upon reaching the age of 14, selflessly volunteered to give their lives to be ground up and used in baking the "Thin Mints", to be listed on the packaging under the second to the last ingredient as "natural and artificial flavors".

The idea originated with a troop leader who had visited a remote African village a few years earlier where they still practiced cannibalism. As the saying goes, when in Rome...so while visiting this tribe, she survived on a diet of mostly human flesh. When she came back to the states to run her daughter's Girl Scout chapter, she found that she was horribly addicted to the flavor of human flesh, and had begun to kill random hobos whenever the cannibalistic urge would come upon her. It was around that time that the criticisms of not having an Eagle Scout counterpart were launched against the organization.

It was the need to do something with the older girls, to give them a purpose after they were too old to be Girl Scouts, and to provide a counterpart to the Eagle Scouts, combined with this crazy troop leader's insatiable urge for human flesh which led them to create what Girl Scout Cookie insiders now refer to jokingly as "Soylent Cookies". The secret ingredient was not only flavorful, plentiful and cheaply acquired, but turned out to be one of the most addictive substances known to mankind. This is why it is nearly impossible to eat just one thin mint...with those things once you eat one, you might as well plan on eating the whole box within a day or two, and now the world knows exactly why that is. Bwooowaaahhhahahhahhaaa.

When confronted by zealous reporters, an Interbake spokesperson confirmed that the story was true, but that it was indeed only the most addictive cookie, the "Thin Mint" which used what had been known as "Secret Ingredient G". Attorneys for Interbake claim that until the late 1990s, they were unaware of what "Secret Ingredient G" was, they would simply receive barrels of it every year at the start of the cookie baking season and use it as directed. It was not until a piece of a merit badge was discovered baked into a cookie which was sold to a Flushing, NY woman in 1998 that Interbake officials became curious about the source of "Secret Ingredient G". Their own internal investigation lasted just over a year and uncovered the shocking truth, but they had signed a contract with the Girl Scouts to bake the cookies until 2008, and as one spokesperson put it, "we weren't going to try to break a contract with any company that would grind up little girls into cookie dough."

The FDA immediately moved to halt the sale of "Thin Mint" Girl Scout cookies, but rescinded their order after the public learned of the intent to bar the sale of any more "Thin Mints". Daryl Johnson, a 400 pound bouncer at a night club in Des Moines, IA had this to say, "I'd sooner be dead than never be able to have another one of them mint Girl Scout Cookies again." The feeling seemed to be mutual amongst almost everyone we asked. Most said that eating people was "a small price to pay in order to eat those delicious mint cookies." But the comments of Sue Prudhomme, a 29 year old crack whore from French Lick, IN seemed to sum it up best, "wass the big deal 'bout eatin' food made from people? Whaddaya think they make they meat from down at the Taco Bell, knawamsayin'?"

PNS Mehran terrorists had inside help: Officials

ISLAMABAD: Naval officials have informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence that evidence of “inside help” has been found in the PNS Mehran Base attack.
In an in-camera briefing, naval officials told the committee that there were four terrorists who attacked the PNS Mehran Base.
They said the internal investigation is complete, while an external investigation is still going on to ascertain how the terrorists entered the naval base.
Standing Committee Chairman Azra Palejo said the responsibility of the attack will be determined only after reports of the Interior and Defence Ministries have been submitted.
Palejo said the briefing was satisfactory, and the committee will suggest security measures to avoid such incidents in the future. Opposition members however, expressed dissatisfaction over the briefing.

AJK masses have rejected elements trying to damage Kashmir cause: Dr Firdous

ISLAMABAD, Jun 29 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said masses of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, through power of vote, had rejected those people who wanted to damage the Kashmir cause.Talking to mediapersons after attending Inter Faith Harmony Conference here at a local hotel, she said “PML-N wanted to damage Kashmir cause through division but the people of Kashmir have rejected their politics by power of vote in the elections.”The Minister urged PML-N to accept the mandate given by people of Azad Kashmir and stop propaganda against the free and fair elections, recently held in Azad Kashmir.

She said PML-N had broken all records of rigging during the Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections held in Lahore. She questioned why Punjab government deputed 3,000 police personnel at polling stationsbesides deploying personnel of Special Branch in civil dress.
She said Kashmir Election Commission was an independent body and working under the supervision of AJK Prime Minister and it has nothing to do with Federal Government.
She said Election Commission of Pakistan only extended help to AJK Government on its request regarding constituencies of refugees in Pakistan.
She alleged that Punjab government had entered fake names in voters lists.The Information Minister said people of Kashmir understand that PPP government can effectively highlight the Kashmir issue at international fora.
She said a stable government in AJK will be helpful in highlighting the core issue of Kashmir internationally. The PPP is enjoying trust of people in Pakistan, GB and Kashmir, she added.
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that some people had been claiming that popularity graph of PPP and its leadership was declining, but Kashmir elections was an eye-opener for them.
She urged PML-N that there should be no politics on Kashmir as it will damage Kashmir cause abroad.
To a question she said leadership of PML-N has made habit of rejecting every thing. About MQM, she said, PPP will try to convince them to rejoin the government.
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said PPP believed in consultation and reconciliation as the politics of confrontation will not serve the country’s interest.
Earlier, addressing the participants of Inter Faith Harmony Conference, she said the government was fighting against extremism and terrorism very effectively.
She said unity among all segments of society can effectively eliminate terrorism and extremists from the country.
The Minister said people who kill innocent countrymen in the name of religion, have nothing to do with Islam. “Islam is a religion of peace,love, harmony, brotherhood and does not allow any one to take life in the name of religion.”
She said due to actions of some elements, true image of Islam has been damaged internationally.The Information Minister said some people are using the so-called holy war for their own interest. It is unfortunate that Muslims are being divided in different groups, she added.
She was of the view that unity was need of the hour to effectively steer the country out of crisis.The Minister said Pakistan has clear cut policy on terrorism and extremism. Pakistan has extended unmatched sacrifices in operations against terrorism, she added.

U.S. lawmaker on fact-finding mission to Syria

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio Democrat who's long been an outspoken anti-war voice in Congress, is visiting volatile Syria to explore whether there is a resolution to the violence spiraling across that country.
Kucinich is part of a small delegation on a fact-finding mission to Syria and neighboring Lebanon.
He said in a statement on Monday that he pursued the trip because his constituents, a Cleveland-area district that includes many Arab-Americans, asked him to look into "conditions on the ground" and see if there's a solution to a situation that's "spinning out of control."
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said President Bashar al-Assad met with Kucinich and the accompanying delegation Monday.
Criticism of Kucinich's trip has surfaced among activists because it is seen as legitimizing the al-Assad government.
But in his statement, Kucinich said he was planning to meet with "democracy activists, non-governmental organizations, small business owners, civilians as well as government officials."
Kucinich emphasized Tuesday that he met with people who are "actively involved" in the opposition, as well as government officials.
"I think it's really important for people involved in making policy to hear both sides," Kucinich told CNN.
He also plans to meet Michel Suleiman, Lebanon's president.
"Peace is not just the absence of war," Kucinich said, according to the statement.
"Peace is a conscious, active pursuit that requires work and communication. My work as a member of Congress requires that I learn firsthand about events in order to better understand policy alternatives for America and other nations."
Human rights activists have said that Syrian security forces have launched a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters since mid-March. The al-Assad regime has been roundly denounced by world powers for its fierce clampdown on protests.
Syria has disputed the criticism and has blamed the bloodshed on "armed groups."
Al-Assad repeated that claim when he met with Kucinich on Monday. SANA reported he "stressed the importance of differentiating between the people's legitimate demands to which the State responded through issuing decrees and laws and the organized armed groups which utilized these demands to create chaos and destabilize the country."

The news agency said al-Assad "reviewed the recent events taking place in Syria and the advanced steps achieved in the comprehensive reform program."

Global Markets Rise as Investors Await Greek Vote

Global stocks were trading higher Tuesday as investors awaited a key Greek parliamentary vote that could go a long way to determining whether the country avoids a default on its debts. Investors are hoping that Prime Minister George Papadreou of Greece will muster enough votes to get the 28 billion euro ($40 billion) austerity bill through Parliament in a vote Wednesday.
A majority of the 300 deputies must approve the spending cuts and tax increases for the country to get its next batch of bailout funds — worth 12 billion euros — from last year’s 110 billion euro bailout package. But the measures are proving unpopular, and Greek unions began striking Tuesday in the hopes of pressuring lawmakers to vote against the package.
If the package fails, Greece will face a default on its debts even though French banks are planning to accept slower repayment of their holdings of Greek bonds.
“Despite today’s general strike, there still seems to be an optimistic tone that the austerity measures will be passed tomorrow and the bailout can move to the next stage,” said David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index. “There is still a lot that could go wrong, but with the way markets have performed over the last couple of days, some are hoping that finally sentiment has turned a corner and it is time for a recover.”
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.9 percent at 5,773 points, while France’s CAC 40 rose 1.1 percent to 3,839. Germany’s DAX was 0.3 percent higher at 7,127.
Wall Street was poised for a higher opening; Dow futures were up 35 points.
A calmer mood over the Greek debt crisis has helped shore up the euro over the past few sessions. It was trading modestly higher Tuesday, up 0.1 percent to $1.4298.
Though the euro is being shored up by expectations that the Greek austerity package will pass, analysts reckon it will remain buffeted by the country’s debt crisis for a long time to come. Even if Greece does get the next batch of bailout funds, many economists think the country will have to restructure its 340 billion euro debt some time in the years to come. Some think it’s possible it may happen even sooner.
“The real issue, however, remains that Greece is only ever more unlikely to hit the renewed austerity targets which means we risk being no further forward at the next I.M.F. program review in September,” said James Nixon, co-chief European economist at Société Générale.
Earlier in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.7 percent to close at 9,648.98 but shares on South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 2,062.91. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.1 percent to 22,061.78. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.3 percent higher at 4,474.30.
Mainland Chinese shares rose too with the Shanghai Composite Index edging up less than 0.1 percent higher to 2,759.20 while the Shenzhen Composite Index gained 0.3 percent to 1,152.00.
Oil prices clawed back some ground lost in the wake of last week’s decision by the International Energy Agency to release 60 million barrels of crude over 30 days. Benchmark oil for August delivery was up 87 cents to $91.48 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Prosecutor sees Gaddafi endgame, China cautious

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Tuesday it could be "game over" within months for Muammar Gaddafi, but China reacted cautiously to the issuing of an arrest warrant for the Libyan leader on charges of crimes against humanity.
"Today, it is time for arrests," ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told reporters in The Hague, a day after the ICC approved warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi.
"It is a matter of time ... Gaddafi will face charges. The arrest warrants are not going away."
He added: "I don't think we will have to wait for long...In two or three months it is game over."
Prosecutors allege the three men were involved in the killing of civilian protesters who rose up in February against Gaddafi's 41-year rule. Rebels have pushed to within 80 km (50 miles) of the capital Tripoli.
China stopped short of condemning or endorsing the court's action. "China hopes the ICC can prudently, justly and objectively carry out its duties, and ensure that its relevant work genuinely aids regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said when asked about the warrants.
China has denounced the ICC's war crimes indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, currently on a state visit in Beijing. He and Gaddafi are the only sitting heads of state facing warrants from the court.
Beijing generally avoids entangling itself in nations' domestic affairs and has been skeptical about the NATO military operation to back rebels fighting Gaddafi.

Boston mob boss captured near LA after 16 years

By: CHRISTINA HOAG

Published: Jun 23, 2011, 4:12 AM UTC

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — As the FBI chased leads on two continents, Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger lived nearly all of his 16 years on the lam in this quiet seaside city, passing himself off as just another elderly retiree, albeit one who kept a .357 Magnum and more than 100 rounds of ammunition in his modest apartment.
Bulger — the FBI's most-wanted man and a feared underworld figure linked to 19 murders — was captured Wednesday after one of the biggest manhunts in U.S. history. His undoing may have been his impeccably groomed girlfriend.
Earlier this week, after years of frustration, the FBI put out a series of daytime TV announcements with photos of Bulger's blond-haired live-in companion, Catherine Greig. The announcements pointed out that Greig was known to frequent beauty salons and have her teeth cleaned once a month.
Two days later, the campaign produced a tip that led agents to the two-bedroom apartment three blocks from the Pacific Ocean where Bulger, 81, and Greig, 60, lived, authorities said. The FBI would not give any details about the tip.
The boss of South Boston's vicious Winter Hill Gang — a man who authorities say would not hesitate to shoot someone between the eyes — was lured outside the building and captured without resistance. Greig was also arrested.
Neighbors were stunned to learn they had been living in the same building as the man who was the model for Jack Nicholson's ruthless crime boss in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie "The Departed."
The arrest closed one chapter in a case that scandalized the FBI.
Bulger fled in 1995 after a retired FBI agent who had recruited him as a government informant tipped him off that he was about to be indicted. Soon it was discovered that the Boston FBI had an overly cozy relationship with its underworld informants, protecting mob figures for decades and allowing them to commit murders as long as they were supplying useful information.
"Although there are those who have doubted our resolve at times over the years, it has never wavered," Richard DesLauriers, agent in the charge of the FBI's Boston office, said after Bulger's capture. "We followed every lead. We explored every possibility, and when those leads ran out, we did not sit back and wait for the phone to ring."
On Thursday, more than a dozen FBI agents carried out bags of evidence from the apartment while neighbors and even some tourists from Boston watched. Authorities said they seized a variety of weapons, including the Magnum, and a large amount of cash.
The FBI "just started a new campaign in the Boston press a couple days ago. We were all laughing how nothing would come of it," said Ed Dente, who was vacationing from Boston.
Retired Massachusetts state police Col. Tom Foley, who investigated Bulger for decades, said he never believed the various reported Bulger sightings around the world, even the 2002 sighting in London that the FBI said was confirmed. Foley said it was widely believed that the FBI didn't actively search for the mobster, at least initially.
"Apparently, they should have spent more time in this country looking for him than gallivanting overseas," Foley said.
Damon Katz, chief counsel for the FBI in Boston, wouldn't comment on Bulger's living in the same place for almost the entire time he was a fugitive.
On Thursday afternoon, Bulger appeared with his girlfriend in federal court in Los Angeles and was ordered returned to Massachusetts to face charges after he waived his right to a hearing.
Balding, with a full white beard and wire-rimmed glasses, Bulger clutched court documents against his chest in court and smiled as he was led away by law officers.
He faces federal charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, extortion and money laundering. Greig was charged with harboring a fugitive.
Many people in the Southern California neighborhood where the crime boss lived were not surprised that Bulger could blend in in Santa Monica, a densely populated beachside suburb of Los Angeles where aging, ponytailed hippies, bike-riding environmentalists, Hollywood actors and others regularly rub shoulders with retirees, but usually exchange no more than pleasantries.
"This is the perfect place to hide," said Maura McCormick, who lives in an apartment building next door. "Nobody bothers anyone here."
Seth Rosenzweig, a writer who lives down the hall from Bulger's apartment, said the fugitive, who was partial to baseball caps and dark sunglasses, kept a low profile. He would divert his eyes every time he got into the elevator with other people.
The apartment's managers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the couple, who went by the names Charles and Carol Gasko, had lived there 15 years and were ideal tenants who always paid their rent on time and in cash. Santa Monica property records show the apartment had a rent-controlled rate of $1,145 a month.
Catalina Schlank, who has lived in the building for 35 years, said she was friendly with Greig but not so much so with Bulger, whom she called a recluse. "They were a handsome couple, but they were kind of mysterious," she said.
The couple didn't own a car, choosing to walk everywhere. That's easy to do in their neighborhood, just down the street from the beach.
Schlank said Greig would often walk to a market before dawn, bringing back the couple's groceries in a shopping cart and stopping off to drop Schlank's newspaper at her door, sometimes with some fruit she had picked up.
The apartment managers also recalled that Bulger seemed concerned for the well-being of others, once giving a building worker his flashlight because he was worried about her crossing the road after she finished her shift at night.
Bulger had a $2 million reward on his head and rose to No. 1 on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list after Osama bin Laden was killed.
He was wanted for 19 murders, including one in which the victim was shot between the eyes in a parking lot at his country club in Oklahoma. Another was gunned down in broad daylight on a South Boston street to prevent him from talking about the killing in Oklahoma. Others were taken out for running afoul of Bulger's gambling enterprises.
At the same time he was boss of the Winter Hill Gang, South Boston's murderous Irish mob, Bulger was an FBI informant, supplying information about the rival New England Mafia. A congressional committee in 2003 harshly criticized the FBI for its use of Bulger and other criminals as informants, calling it "one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement."
Patricia Donahue, wife of alleged Bulger victim Michael Donahue, said she could not believe the news of Bulger's capture.
"I actually never thought I would see this day. I thought the man was dead," she said. Her husband, a construction worker and truck driver, was killed in 1982 in a hit on an underworld figure who was cooperating with investigators. Donahue had given the target of the hit a ride home that day.
"I am very satisfied to know that the person who pulled the trigger to end my husband's life is going to go to jail," Donahue said.
While some investigators thought Bulger was probably moving around constantly while on the run, Massachusetts state police Detective Lt. Stephen Johnson said he wasn't surprised that Bulger and Greig stayed put in California.
"It's very hard to be living on the lam, and when you're that age, you probably want to enjoy it," he said. "I think he felt very comfortable there. It may have been a quality-of-life decision. He'd rather live in the U.S. and take his chances on getting caught than go to Europe or a Third World country and suffer conditions that weren't so pleasant."

Republicans bail on budget talks, blame Democrats

By: DAVID ESPO

Published: Jun 23, 2011, 2:45 PM UTC

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans pulled out of debt-reduction talks led by Vice President Joe Biden with a flourish on Thursday, blaming Democrats for demanding tax increases as part of a deal rather than accepting more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicare and other government programs.
"Let me be clear: Tax hikes are off the table," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Boehner spoke shortly after the House GOP second-in-command, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, announced he would not attend a planned negotiating session and said it is "time for President Obama to speak clearly and resolve the tax issue."
White House spokesman Jay Carney quickly obliged, while announcing that the talks were "in abeyance." He said Obama supports a "balanced approach" to debt reduction.
"I would point that the president supports a balanced approach," Carney said. "He does not support an approach that provides for a $200,000 tax cut for millionaires and billionaires paid for by a $6,000 a year hike in expenses and costs for seniors."
Numerous officials have said in recent days that Obama and Boehner would soon take a more public role in the negotiations, as time grows short for confronting politically vexing questions over taxes and Medicare and other benefit programs.
As a result, it appeared that the day's events marked an eruption of political maneuvering rather than a blow-up that would jeopardize the success of negotiations.
In general, the negotiations are aimed at producing legislation to cut future deficits while simultaneously lifting the $14.3 trillion limit on Treasury borrowing.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has said that without an increase in the debt limit by Aug. 2, the United States faces a first-ever default, with potentially catastrophic consequences for the economy.
Carney told reporters that Boehner had met unannounced with Obama at the White House Wednesday evening. The meeting was at the president's initiative, and the first known encounter between the two men since their widely publicized round of golf last weekend.
Nor was it likely Democrats were taken by surprise by the day's events, since Cantor informed Biden of his plans before making any public announcement.
Adding to the intrigue, one GOP leadership aide said Cantor did not inform Boehner of his plan to withdraw from the talks until shortly before he did so. Nor was Cantor aware of Boehner's trip to the White House the evening before, this aide said.
For his part, Cantor said the secretive Biden-led talks had "established a blueprint" for agreement on significant cuts in spending, but had reached an impasse because of the Democratic demand for taxes.
Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the other Republican participant, also said he would not attend the scheduled session, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell spoke in unusually biting terms of Democratic demands for new government spending as part of a debt-reduction deal.
"What planet are they on?" McConnell wondered aloud.
While accepting a need to raise the debt limit, Boehner has said that deficit cuts must exceed the size of any increase in borrowing authority — a position that neither Obama nor any other Democrat has challenged.
The president and Biden were meeting with House Democratic leaders at the White House when Cantor made his announcement.
One of the Democratic negotiators, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, said at a news conference that Republicans "are playing with fire and really putting the very fragile economy at greater threat by playing the games that we've been seeing."
In several weeks of talks, Biden and congressional negotiators had largely completed a review of the federal budget, focusing at first on areas where the two sides were amenable to cuts.
They quickly identified higher pension contributions for federal employees as one area of savings, and cuts in farm programs and student loan subsidies as others. Additional items include a federal auction of parts of the spectrum and the sale of surplus federal property. Discretionary programs, which bore the brunt of an earlier agreement to cut spending by $38 billion, would be ticketed for additional cuts.
Other steps had been discussed to rein in future government spending automatically if deficit targets were not reached.
But in recent days, officials said, the two sides were increasingly at an impasse, with Democrats demanding higher taxes to accompany spending cuts, while Republicans ruled out tax hikes and pushed for deeper cuts in benefit programs.
The conflicts long predate the current negotiations.
Republicans long ago branded themselves as the party of lower taxes, while Democrats, looking to the 2012 elections, are already campaigning hard against a new Republican plan to turn Medicare into a system of private insurance coverage beginning with anyone currently under 55 years of age.
Privately, Republicans bristle at the suggestion that taxes be traded off for Medicare. They argue that official reports make it clear that without significant changes, the Medicare program is financially unsustainable.
Yet polls show that while there is general support for spending cuts, there is opposition to benefit cuts in Medicare.
The imperative to cut spending has gained impetus since Republicans won control of the House last fall, benefiting hugely from tea party activists demanding a smaller and less intrusive government.
In addition, sputtering recovery from the worst recession in decades and stubbornly high unemployment have helped form a bipartisan agreement that long-avoided steps are needed to reduce federal red ink.
The Congressional Budget Office warned on Wednesday that unless steps are taken to rein in deficits, the country risks a "sudden fiscal crisis," with investors losing faith in the U.S. government's ability to manage its fiscal affairs.

Boston mob boss was hiding in plain sight

By: CHRISTINA HOAG

Published: Jun 24, 2011, 1:29 AM UTC

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — The FBI says agents found $800,000 in cash during a search of Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's Santa Monica apartment following his arrest.
Steven Martinez, FBI Assistant Director in Charge in Los Angeles, said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that agents also found more than 30 firearms, including pistols, rifles and shotguns, several types of knives and several pieces of false identification.      
Bulger, the FBI's most-wanted man, and his live-in companion Catherine Greig, were arrested without incident Wednesday night at their Santa Monica apartment.
Bulger was ordered returned to Massachusetts to face charges during a federal court hearing in Los Angeles Thursday.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Feds: Fort Hood massacre inspired Seattle plot

By: GENE JOHNSON

Published: Jun 23, 2011, 7:40 PM UTC

SEATTLE (AP) � The massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, and the ongoing war crimes prosecutions of Washington state soldiers helped inspire a terror plot in which two men planned to attack a military recruiting station in Seattle with grenades and machine guns, according to a federal complaint filed Thursday.
Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, also known as Frederick Domingue Jr., of Los Angeles, were arrested Wednesday night.
The FBI ensnared them in a terror sting after they arrived at a warehouse garage to pick up machine guns to use in the attack, authorities said. The weapons had been rendered inoperable by federal agents and posed no risk to the public.
The complaint, written by FBI Special Agent Albert C. Kelly III and filed in U.S. District Court, paints Abdul-Latif as the leader of the effort. In conversations with an FBI informant, he spoke admiringly of the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood when a lone gunman killed 13 people, and of the war crimes charges against five Washington state soldiers accused of killing three Afghan civilians for sport last year.
"Abdul-Latif said that he was not comfortable with letting the legal system deal with these matters," Kelly wrote.
The two suspects appeared in federal court Thursday in tan prison garb and listened as prosecutor recited the charges against them. Detention hearings were set for next Wednesday. Their court-appointed defense lawyers declined to comment.
The suspects could face life in prison if convicted.
Authorities learned of the plot early this month when a third person recruited to participate alerted the Seattle Police Department, the complaint said. Investigators immediately began monitoring the men, and the confidential informant, who has known Abdul-Latif for years and has a criminal record of his own, continued to string them along by promising to obtain weapons.
The recruiting station, the Military Entrance Processing Station on East Marginal Way in Seattle, is adjacent to a daycare inside a building called Federal Center South. Recruits for all military branches are screened and processed there.
The Homeland Security Department said in a May 31 assessment with other organizations that it did not think it likely there would be coordinated terrorist attacks against military recruiting and National Guard facilities.
The agencies agreed, however, that lone offenders or groups would continue to try to launch attacks against these facilities.
In audio and video recordings, the suspects in the Seattle case discussed the plot at length, discussing how to time their attack at military recruits, such as by tossing grenades in the cafeteria, the complaint said.
"The key thing to remember here is, is we are not targeting anybody innocent � that means old people, women out of uniform, any children," Abdul-Latif is quoted as saying. "Just people who wear the green for the kaffir Army, that's who we're going after."
The agent wrote that they also fantasized about the headlines the attack would generate � "Three Muslim Males Walk Into MEPS Building, Seattle, Washington, And Gun Down Everybody" � and speculated that if they got control of the building, television news crews would arrive to cover them.
Mujahidh, 32, voluntarily spoke with investigators after the arrests and confessed, the complaint said.
"Mujahidh admitted that he was planning on carrying out an attack at the MEPS for the purpose of killing United States military personnel in order to prevent them from going to Islamic lands and killing Muslims," the complaint said.
Abdul-Latif, 33, and Mujahidh, 32, are charged by complaint with conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. Abdul-Latif is also charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said the defendants initially planned to attack Joint Base Lewis-McChord but later changed targets. The defendants intended to carry out their attack with both grenades and machine guns, the government said.
"The complaint alleges these men intended to carry out a deadly attack against our military where they should be most safe, here at home," Seattle U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan said in a statement. "This is a sobering reminder of our need to be vigilant."
Abdul-Latif has previous felony convictions for first-degree robbery of a Bremerton, Wash., convenience store and for custodial assault, as well as misdemeanor convictions for obstructing a law enforcement officer, assault and theft.
When he was prosecuted on the robbery charge in Kitsap County in 2002, he was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, and despite some "issues" was found competent to participate in his defense, FBI Special Agent Albert C. Kelly III wrote in the complaint.
According to a copy of the evaluation, Abdul-Latif reported that he was originally from San Diego, where his father was serving time in prison, and that his mother lived in Bremerton but he had not seen her in a long time. He said he suffered from depression and abandonment issues, that he had "huffed" gasoline and smoked marijuana to get high, and that he tried to kill himself in 2001 by deliberately overdosing on seizure medication.
Abdul-Latif was sentenced to 31 months in prison on that charge. He served from January 2002 until July 2004 for a conviction of first-degree robbery in Kitsap County and a custodial assault in Walla Walla County, and committed two serious infractions while in custody � assault in 2002 and fighting in 2004, said state Corrections Department spokesman Chad Lewis.
"There is nothing in Davis' records that indicates that he converted to Islam while he was in prison," Lewis said in an email.
Mujahidh does not appear to have a criminal record, the complaint said. It wasn't immediately clear how Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh became acquainted.
In a bankruptcy filing from a month ago, Abdul-Latif reported assets of about $3,000 and liabilities of about $6,000. He reported that about $2,000 in monthly income from a janitorial business was entirely nullified by the expenses of operating Fresh and Clean Janitorial. His wife, identified as Binta Moussa, was earning about $1,200 a month, according to court documents but that wasn't enough to cover their costs of living.
Steve Dashiak, a bankruptcy attorney representing Abdul-Latif, told The Associated Press he was stunned by the developments, and that his client seemed like a regular man.
"I sensed no ill will from him whatsoever," Dashiak said. "He seemed like a guy just trying to make it, having a rough time because business wasn't going very well. To say that I didn't see this coming would be an understatement."
A sign on the door of Abdul-Latif's apartment read in part: "In the Name of Allah we enter, in the name of Allah we leave, and upon our lord we depend."
Potential recruits came and left as normal at the military processing center Thursday. Children and adults were having a barbecue behind a fence at the same building.
Army Corps of Engineers Col. Anthony Wright, commander of the Seattle district and senior official for the building, said he was kept informed about the threat and made some changes in security as a precaution.
"I've spent about three years in Iraq. It's a little different to feel it here in Seattle, but it's part of the world we live in," he said.

Nets get G Brooks from Celtics in draft-day trade

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Before the NBA draft began on Thursday, New Jersey Nets general manager Billy King wanted to make sure that his team got better from the perimeter, got better rebounding and got a little tougher.

King feels he accomplished all three.

"It's what we addressed going in," King said after the Nets acquired Providence guard Marshon Brooks in a trade with Boston, after the Celtics selected the nation's No. 2 scorer with the No. 25 pick, then acquired Croatian swingman Bojan Bogdanovic in a cash deal with Minnesota, and drafted Maryland forward Jordan Williams with their second-round pick.

"We needed scoring, rebounding and toughness. If we can get that from these guys, then it was a good draft."

The Nets selected JaJuan Johnson of Purdue with their first pick, No. 27 overall, then traded the 6-10 Johnson to Boston along with a 2014 second-round pick for the rights for Brooks, who was the leading scorer in the Big East Conference last season.

The 6-5 Brooks, who averaged 24.6 points per game last season, with a career-high of 52 against Notre Dame and 43 vs. Georgetown, is compared by NBA scouts to Josh Howard and Jordan Crawford. The 22-year-old shooting guard gradually increased his scoring average over all four seasons at Providence.

"You like to take four-year players," King said, "because you can see their progress and they understand what it takes to be a good basketball player."

Brooks went from a 10.6-points-per-game scorer as a sophomore, to 14.2 as a junior. He then made the huge leap to nearly 25 as a senior. Brooks also grabbed seven rebounds per game, shot 48 percent from the floor, and 34 percent from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in all 32 Providence games last season.

Born in Long Branch, N.J., Brooks moved to Georgia as a youngster.

"I'm very excited to play for the Nets," Brooks said. "They have very good management and I want to go and help them win as many games as possible. At Providence, I had to do a lot of scoring and in a way, I had to. But if I can get along with the best point guard in the NBA in Deron Williams, I can get a lot of open shots."

Brooks was projected by some draft experts to go as high as No. 14, so the Nets moved quick to acquire a shooting guard to possibly compliment Deron Williams, their All-Star point guard who was shipped to New Jersey by Utah earlier this year.

"We had Marshon ranked very high and we didn't think he'd be there when we were supposed to pick," King said. "We made a call to Boston to see if they would flip-flop. It worked out well. Marshon is a proven scorer and is a player who knows how to put the ball in the hole."

Brooks was slated to work out with the Nets June 9, but missed the workout due to an ankle injury.

After acquiring Brooks, the Nets then snared Bojan Bogdanovic, a 6-7 shooting guard from Croatia. He was the first pick of the second round, the No. 31 overall selection, who was drafted by Miami, then shipped to Minnesota and finally to New Jersey for cash.

The 22-year-old Bogdanovic averaged 18 points per game last season for Fenerbache Istanbul of the Turkish professional league and is still currently under contract with the team, so his immediate availability to the Nets is in question. He might not be eligible for NBA play until 2012-2013.

Ironically, Bogdanovic worked out for the Nets earlier Thursday and had a workout with the squad three weeks ago.

The Nets then completed their draft work by taking 6-10 forward Jordan Williams of Maryland with their own pick, No. 36 overall.

Jordan Williams, who left school early anticipating that he would be a first-round selection, averaged 16.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore for the Terrapins. He shot 53 percent from the floor, but only connected on 57 percent from the free throw line.

"We needed to get a pure rebounder," King said. "Once we got Marshon, we had to improve our rebounding and Williams helps."

Over his career as a general manager, King has now been involved in 10 different draft-day trades.

Fairy tale continues for Jimmer Fredette

NEWARK, N.J. —
You could say it's the stuff of fairy tales; the chubby kid with a ball and a dream, who one day becomes a wealthy King.
Thursday night in New Jersey, Jimmer Fredette capped a remarkable journey from little-known high school scoring sensation, to top-10 NBA Draft pick of the Sacramento Kings; the small-town hero hoping to help resuscitate a small-market franchise.
By way of a trade that resulted in the Milwaukee Bucks making a selection for the Kings, Fredette earned the golden handshake from Commissioner David Stern, then had to bide his time while the three-team trade was finalized.
"It was a crazy night; I had to wait for about two and a half hours, but I knew (the trade) was going to happen, and I'm just really excited to reach the dream."
It was dream that was born in upstate New York, as the chunky youngster his brother T.J. called "Cheeks" began to shed the baby fat and excel as a basketball player. Jimmer's father Al knew he was witnessing the start of something special.
"Even when he was 10 years old, I took him (from Glens Falls, N.Y.) down to Albany, where they had some good ball players, and I played him down there, just to see," said Al, meeting the media Thursday night with a crisp Kings cap perched on his head. "We came back I said to myself, 'he can play on that level.' You don't project it out; you just say, 'what's the next step, what's the next step?' "
That approach paid off in high school scoring records, a scholarship to play at BYU, then conference and national player of the year awards, and now acclaim as one of the NBA's bright future stars. "I'm just from a small town, a normal-looking kid, normal size, but I had a dream," said Fredette as he navigated press row at the Prudential Center. "I went out and worked hard as I possibly could to be able to reach this position. It just goes to show that anybody can do it if they work as hard as they can and put their mind to it."
If that mantra sounds cliché, Jimmer's tale is anything but. Normally, top-10 NBA picks are reserved for the hot-shot blue-chippers or the foreign phenoms, not players like Fredette, who wasn't recruited by the "name schools," didn't start a single game of his freshman season at BYU, and who had legions of doubters even as draft night approached.
"That's Jimmer," said his contented agent Chris Emens last night. "He's always making believers out of unbelievers … he's exceptional and unique."
Equally unique was the coast-to-coast phenomenon of "Jimmmermania," which interestingly continues its westward progression. Figuratively and literally, there are more mountains to climb, with Fredette having left the Adirondacks for the Rockies, and now headed beyond the High Sierras.
Jimmer's head coach at BYU knows first-hand what the Kings fans in Sacramento can expect when Fredette hits the floor. "They are getting a guy they are going to love to watch," said Dave Rose, who sat as a guest of the Fredette family in the draft night Green Room. "This game is so much about entertainment, and they are going to love to watch Jimmer Fredette play. And I'm happy that he's close to Utah, so we can keep an eye on him."
Certainly, the Kings' fan base will grow substantially, as Jimmer's fans in Utah and beyond will be adopted into Sacramento's family of supporters. On the night the kid became the King, Fredette's closest supporters could only sit back and marvel.
Recounting the post-draft reaction at the Fredette family table, Rose relayed that "Al just kept saying 'this is unbelievable,' and it is. Maybe they out to make a movie or something, because it's quite a story."
Kind of like a fairy tale.

Nets get G Brooks from Celtics in draft-day trade

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Before the NBA draft began on Thursday, New Jersey Nets general manager Billy King wanted to make sure that his team got better from the perimeter, got better rebounding and got a little tougher.
King feels he accomplished all three.
"It's what we addressed going in," King said after the Nets acquired Providence guard Marshon Brooks in a trade with Boston, after the Celtics selected the nation's No. 2 scorer with the No. 25 pick, then acquired Croatian swingman Bojan Bogdanovic in a cash deal with Minnesota, and drafted Maryland forward Jordan Williams with their second-round pick.
"We needed scoring, rebounding and toughness. If we can get that from these guys, then it was a good draft."
The Nets selected JaJuan Johnson of Purdue with their first pick, No. 27 overall, then traded the 6-10 Johnson to Boston along with a 2014 second-round pick for the rights for Brooks, who was the leading scorer in the Big East Conference last season.
The 6-5 Brooks, who averaged 24.6 points per game last season, with a career-high of 52 against Notre Dame and 43 vs. Georgetown, is compared by NBA scouts to Josh Howard and Jordan Crawford. The 22-year-old shooting guard gradually increased his scoring average over all four seasons at Providence.
"You like to take four-year players," King said, "because you can see their progress and they understand what it takes to be a good basketball player."
Brooks went from a 10.6-points-per-game scorer as a sophomore, to 14.2 as a junior. He then made the huge leap to nearly 25 as a senior. Brooks also grabbed seven rebounds per game, shot 48 percent from the floor, and 34 percent from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in all 32 Providence games last season.
Born in Long Branch, N.J., Brooks moved to Georgia as a youngster.
"I'm very excited to play for the Nets," Brooks said. "They have very good management and I want to go and help them win as many games as possible. At Providence, I had to do a lot of scoring and in a way, I had to. But if I can get along with the best point guard in the NBA in Deron Williams, I can get a lot of open shots."
Brooks was projected by some draft experts to go as high as No. 14, so the Nets moved quick to acquire a shooting guard to possibly compliment Deron Williams, their All-Star point guard who was shipped to New Jersey by Utah earlier this year.
"We had Marshon ranked very high and we didn't think he'd be there when we were supposed to pick," King said. "We made a call to Boston to see if they would flip-flop. It worked out well. Marshon is a proven scorer and is a player who knows how to put the ball in the hole."
Brooks was slated to work out with the Nets June 9, but missed the workout due to an ankle injury.
After acquiring Brooks, the Nets then snared Bojan Bogdanovic, a 6-7 shooting guard from Croatia. He was the first pick of the second round, the No. 31 overall selection, who was drafted by Miami, then shipped to Minnesota and finally to New Jersey for cash.
The 22-year-old Bogdanovic averaged 18 points per game last season for Fenerbache Istanbul of the Turkish professional league and is still currently under contract with the team, so his immediate availability to the Nets is in question. He might not be eligible for NBA play until 2012-2013.
Ironically, Bogdanovic worked out for the Nets earlier Thursday and had a workout with the squad three weeks ago.
The Nets then completed their draft work by taking 6-10 forward Jordan Williams of Maryland with their own pick, No. 36 overall.
Jordan Williams, who left school early anticipating that he would be a first-round selection, averaged 16.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore for the Terrapins. He shot 53 percent from the floor, but only connected on 57 percent from the free throw line.
"We needed to get a pure rebounder," King said. "Once we got Marshon, we had to improve our rebounding and Williams helps."
Over his career as a general manager, King has now been involved in 10 different draft-day trades.

It's another U.S.-Mexico final in Gold Cup

 

Within hours that question had been answered too, when, to the surprise of no one, the U.S. and Mexico won their semifinal games at Reliant Stadium in Houston, setting up a U.S.-Mexico final for the third time in three Gold Cups.

What might have been surprising, though, is the difficulty both teams had in keeping their date, with the U.S. squeaking past Panama, 1-0, on Clint Dempsey's goal late in the second half and Mexico needing overtime to beat Honduras, 2-0, on goals by Aldo De Nigris and Javier Hernandez.

That sets up a title game between a defense-minded U.S. team that appears to be peaking at the right time, having gone 322 minutes without yielding a goal, and an explosive Mexican team that is beginning to sputter. After scoring a tournament-high 14 goals in group play, Mexico has been held scoreless in three of the four halves it has played since then.

The difference for the U.S. on Wednesday was two deft substitutions by Coach Bob Bradley, who has been under fire since his team lost to Panama in group play 12 days ago.

Bradley inserted Landon Donovan into the midfield to start the second half then, 21 minutes later, he pulled teenage striker Juan Agudelo in favor of Freddy Adu, who had yet to play in the tournament.

Those moves paid off in the 76th minute when an Adu cross from just beyond the midfield stripe found Donovan streaking down the right wing. Donovan settled the ball before dribbling to the edge of the penalty area, where he slipped a low pass past three defenders to Dempsey, whose sliding goal slipped just inside the far post.

"He put a perfect ball in," Dempsey said of Donovan's pass. "I just tried to get myself in a position to give myself a chance to get the goal. So all credit to him.

"Even though it wasn't our best game we were still able to grind out a result."

For Adu, 22, who had not played for the national team since the 2009 Gold Cup, setting up the game-winning score offered a bit of redemption.

"When the opportunity comes, you've got to do whatever it takes to help the team," he said. "I was told to come in, bring energy … and I tried to do that.

"When you get your chance, you have to make a difference. You have to reward your coach's faith in you."

Mexico also got a shot of energy from a second-half substitution when De Nigris, who came off the bench for Andres Guardado in the 53rd minute, headed a Pablo Barrera corner kick into the net three minutes into overtime. It was his fourth goal in five games.

Six minutes later, Hernandez scored his seventh goal of the Gold Cup, finishing off another play that began with a corner to De Nigris.

Mexico, which beat the U.S. in the 2009 final, has not lost a Gold Cup game since the 2007 final, which the U.S. won.

6.7-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northeast Japan

Early Thursday, Japan was jolted by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake in the same area where a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March caused a destructive tsunami that claimed thousands of lives.
Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning, but withdrew it later. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre also said it doesn't expect a massive tsunami.
The epicenter of the earthquake, which was the 75th aftershock of at least magnitude 6.0 to hit Japan since March 11, was near east coast of Honshu - the largest island in Japan.
Following is the information about the latest earthquake in Japan released by U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre:

'Louie': Season 2 Will be 'More Ambitious'

When Louie returns for its second season premiere Thursday night, viewers will notice two things: a more comfortable Louis C.K. and longer scripted segments.
With a staff and star who now have a season of the hybrid comedy series under their belt, executive producer M. Blair Breard said the show was able to grow and find its rhythm during Season 2.
“Season 1 was the first time that Louis C.K. did a show in this particular format; this season feels like we really got our groove down,” she told The Hollywood Reporter this week at Louie’s Hollywood premiere. “After Season 1 worked, he was more comfortable to continue to explore, grow and expand the series.”
“We got better at producing and I got better at directing,” Louie C.K. told THR.
Among the other changes in store for the season, which will feature such guest stars as Joan Rivers and F. Murray Abraham, Louis C.K. noted that the scripted segments “were more ambitious” this year and that the series will make its way to a foreign country.
While remaining tight-lipped on the exact location, he’d only tease that it was “out in the desert in a crazy place, and a lot of messed up things happen.”
The ambitious episode, he said, is not the season finale, despite it being the final one filmed.
Confused? Don’t be. Turns out the order of episodes jumps around a bit this year, too, as Thursday’s premiere was the next-to-last episode filmed and came to the stand-up comic just before production wrapped for the season.
“It introduces two characters who you’ll feel like will be part of the series but you never see them again,” he said.